How Washington is Undermining Markets, Clean Energy, and Public Health
US climate and energy policy has entered a strange new phase. Instead of letting markets drive a cheaper, cleaner energy transition, the federal government is now spending public money to keep old fossil assets alive. . . and to slow their replacement by cleaner alternatives.
Over the past year, Washington has leaned on federal agencies and new spending to support coal and other fossil fuels that can no longer compete on their own economics. At the same time, it has begun paying to halt or unwind major clean energy projects, even when private capital was ready to proceed.
In effect, taxpayers are paying polluters twice. First, we subsidize high‑cost, high‑pollution power plants that markets would otherwise retire. Then we pay again to block or buy out cleaner projects that could replace them at lower long‑term cost.