Sarah Palin wants to terminate all energy subsidies, including ethanol
Los Angeles Times
Sarah Palin was asked Tuesday about the sticky subject of ethanol subsidies, and she said that not only they should they be squelched but that all federal energy subsidies should be eradicated.
“I think that all of our energy subsidies need to be relooked at today and eliminated,” Palin told Real Clear Politics at a coffee shop in Dillsburg, Pa. “And we need to make sure that we’re investing and allowing our businesses to invest in reliable energy products right now that aren’t going to necessitate subsidies because, bottom line, we can’t afford it.”
Ever the maverick, Palin was responding was in direct opposition to Mitt Romney, who last week in Iowa, came out in favor of government subsidies for ethanol, the fuel produced from corn and other farm products.
“I support the subsidy of ethanol. I believe ethanol’s an important part of our energy solution in this country,” Romney told a supporter from West Des Moines on Friday.
Neither former governor has officially stated his or her intention to run for the GOP nomination for president; however, Romney is expected to throw his hat in the ring later this week.
One former governor who has committed to running is Tim Pawlenty. In fact, it was in his statement announcing his candidacy that he also backed the elimination of ethanol and other energy subsidies. Unlike Palin, however, Pawlenty wants to take it slowly.
“The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out,” the former Minnesota governor Pawlenty said last week. “We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it.”
Palin believes that the markets, not the $5 billion in government incentives, should determine what path the U.S. takes in regards to energy.
“We’ve got to allow the free market to dictate what’s most efficient and economical for our nation’s economy,” Palin said. “No, at this time, our country can’t afford the subsidies. Before, though, we even start arguing about some of these domestic subsidies that need to be eliminated — should be — we need to look at ending subsidies and loans to foreign countries and their energy production that we’re relying on, like Brazil.”
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This is from April 30th ,2001
Democrat Martin Frost effectively conceded that Palin’s analysis of the oil industry was correct. Here’s the video courtesy of PalinTV.
Palin: As for the government subsidies that we’re hearing Obama flirting with right now in wanting to decrease those or eliminate those, we’re only talking about four billion dollars. Compare that to the fourteen trillion dollar debt that he, our President, has certainly contributed to and four billion dollars is a drop in the bucket and he shouldn’t assume that the four billion dollars is going to affect Big Oil. No, it’s the independent explorers that we want out there with their entrepreneurial spirit and their manpower and their job creating ability to be out there exploring and then responsibly exploiting and extracting our god-given natural resources.
Frost: I’m a supporter of the President’s. I’m concerned that he’s going to lose credibility on this oil and gas issue because he’s not telling the truth entirely. What he is saying is that you need to eliminate four billion dollars worth of tax breaks for major oil companies because major oil companies have obscene profits. The problem with this is that one of the big tax breaks that he’s citing -intangible drilling costs- excuse me -percentage depletion- was repealed by Congress, excuse me, in 1975, 36 years ago, as it affects major oil companies. The only ones that get percentage depletion anymore are domestic independents who drill most of the wells in the United States and employ four million people. Now the press doesn’t do a very good job of covering oil and gas tax issues. They don’t understand them. But if the press ever picks up that the President is not telling the truth about the depletion allowance, that it doesn’t go the major oil companies, he’s going to have additional problems, I believe, in the polls.
Palin: Again, you have to remember that President Obama, and I’m going to say this with all due respect to the office of the Presidency, he doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to energy. He does not know, as I just pointed out, that the four billion dollars that he thinks he’s gonna stick it to Exxon, BP, Conaco Phillips that no, it’s going to be the independent producers, the explorers that we want out there creating jobs that are going to be hit with an end of subsidy.
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Wild Thing’s comment…….
Heh heh , this will get the Left wee-weed up.
I agree with Sarah. There is really no such thing as subsidies, there is only forcing someone else (taxpayers) to pay for it. Drill, baby, drill is the solution!!
Based on her experience in Alaska, Sarah knows the energy business better than anyone currently in Washington–or trying to get there. This is her wheel house and she should use it to every advantage.
For far too long, progressive republicans and RINO’s have used federal subsidy to grow a welfare/power base amongst corporations.
Palin was on the Judge Perino show a few weeks ago and defended the tax breaks that Obama wanted eliminated because she said that it would hurt the smaller companies that are trying to compete and basically said that Obama didn’t know what he was talking about- so she does differentiate between subsides and tax breaks—she knows the oil and gas business.
Ethanol is a real enigma. It has 80% of the energy of a gallon of gasoline, so when you mix the two together you are reducing the amount of Miliage you get from a tank of gas. To me, this make little sense. in the end you are using more fuel to get from point A to point B, Same distance but more gasoline to do the same job. So how does that do anything beneficial for the environment or fuel economy. If thats what they are reall worried about.
People have no idea the damage Ethanol is doing to automobiles. Even 10% Ethanol is causing fuel pumps to fail due to lack of cooling and lubrication. Ethanol is alcohol which is a degreasing agent. Fuel pumps are submerged in petroleum, a lubricant, and turn at thousands of RPM’s. The Ethanol works against the lubricating effects of the petroleum, causing premature failure of the pumps.
I am going to interject something here.
In spite of what she says, Sarah Palin, is putting herself out there as a Presidential Candidate.
I think what she is doing with this Bus Tour, etc., is giving herself enough face time to create a larger segment of the population, from which to draw her support.
If the folks actually listen to what she is saying, as they will be able to when she talks to reporters, instead of listening to some lefty reporter or commentator, giving their interpretation, then the message will get across.
Sarah is a very smart and politically savvy woman, who has fought an uphill battle for every office she has ever held. She knows how the game is played, and she plays it better than her opponents.
That is why she wins.
…. In just 524 days WE THE PEOPLE drain the polluted mainstream ‘$pecial interest group$’ in and around the Potomac River once and for all.
Thank you everyone soooo much for your input about this and information.
It is a pleasure to see some in the game who knows how to play. If this were chess Palin would have just executed a pin and taken Romney’s rook.
I don’t know that Sarah Palin is running but right now Piper is pulling better numbers than Tim Pawlenty is. We have a great bunch of two’s but our only number one is out making fools of the media. Or showing the world how foolish the media are.