Taxpayers would foot the bill for $38 billion in tax breaks and other giveaways to big oil, electric utilities and nuclear power under the House energy legislation passed in early August, according to a new report (Polluter Payday) released today. [U.S. Public Interest Research Group <http://newenergyfuture.com/newenergy.asp?id2=4137&id3=energy& <http://newenergyfuture.com/newenergy.asp?id2=4137&id3=energy&amp> ;>] The report is available at: http://newenergyfuture.com/polluter_payday_11_8_01.pdf Bonanza for polluters. OK, so lessee if I've got this straight: (1) Big oil, electric utilities, and nuclear power either pollute the air, spew GHG emissions to fry the Earth, or provide peachy targets for every maniac terrorist who hates Uncle Sam. Their infrastructure worsens, does not strengthen, national security. (2) So Congress rewards them with more tax breaks and giveaways, using tax revenues taken from mainly middle-class and working-class taxpayers who seem little aware that they are funding their own sicknesses and climate problems. (3) But accountants tell us we can't count the tax breaks and the giveaways in our comparison of operating costs of various energy options, because that would be dishonest. (2) And energy efficiency and alternative energy sources remain disadvantaged and marginalized because giving them more subsidies would be an unethical abridgement of proper accounting practices and besides we've given them enough already and besides we can't afford it because we have a $300 billion missile shield to build for which there are no targets and, even if there were, we couldn't hit them. And to top things off, this week the usual suspects in Congress try to sneak the tax breaks and the giveaways into the Senate economic stimulus bill in the dark of the night, apparently on grounds that being seen to fund more GHG emissions and air pollution might not be good politics if Joe Sixpack ever woke up, which he has not done because he is tired from waving the Flag. Meanwhile, good people are working quietly behind the scenes to improve this bill. Have I got that right? I'll have to check with the Club's Energy/Global Warming Committee. -- Ed M. (Edward Mainland) * * * * *