Paul's Comments

To Clint Porter:

Regarding your post....

For instance, the billions in tax breaks that oil companies receive for
domestic exploration benefit owners of the oil companies, but they do not substantially affect the price of oil, because oil is traded in a world market and the impact of these subsidies on world supply is negligible. While this points out the disturbing lack of a rational basis for such gifts to oil company shareholders, it also means that oil exploration subsidies do not put alternative energy sources at a financial disadvantage in the marketplace.

The obvious difference is that the capital expenditure for producing polysilicon (and probably any other production facility for various types of PV) DOES reduce the cost of the final product.

All the more reason to subsidize PV and NOT oil exploration/production.

Bush will be gone soon...these bills will set law for years to come, better to wait a year (if need be) to get them right than to pass a poor bill just out of anxiousness and spite.

Bush isn't all bad...he's so obstinate that he's helping the opposition to build up a lot of steam against his way of doing things...this can only help the Renewable camp in the long-run.

How 'bout $500 Billion dollars (and counting) wasted in Iraq. Now there's an oil subsidy that makes Solar subsidies look like pocket change.

The best thing that could happen for Renewable energies and the ENTIRE US population (not just the Oil patch folks) and their energy woes, would be for Bush to leave office, today.