More than 20 Major Policy Groups Sign Letter to Congress Calling for Removal of “Green” Energy Programs in Stimulus Package

AUSTIN – Today, a group of 26 leading policy experts from around the country submitted a letter to Congress expressing concerns over including tax incentives for renewable energy in the three stimulus packages intended to help in the recovery period following the COVID-19 crisis.

Initiated by the Life:Powered, a national initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the letter reads:

“Your constituents expect decisive action to stop the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate financial hardship,” the letter reads. “Tolerating such blatant pork barrel spending on programs that will provide no relief from the economic strain of the coronavirus is an affront to their trust and their hard-earned tax dollars.”

“In fact, expanding renewable energy subsidies will harm our economy by favoring intermittent, expensive energy that weakens our electric grid, creates few jobs, and needlessly raises the cost of electricity – which, ironically, actually harms public health in the long run as struggling families are forced to choose between putting food on the table, refilling life-saving prescriptions, and paying utility bills.”

“This is no time for political games,” the letter concludes. “Climate change is not an immediate threat to humanity. Climate-related deaths have declined 98.9% in the last century, and humanity is growing more and more resilient thanks to the availability of affordable, reliable energy. On behalf of all Americans, we urge you to oppose any stimulus proposals that carve out special treatment for or bail our any energy companies and focus instead on stopping COVID-19.”