The Great Fossil Fuel Handout: 100 Years of Subsidies vs. Clean Energy Truth

Opponents love to say “clean energy only survives because of subsidies.” But that’s projection. Fossil fuels have been on government life support for over a century — and the new Big Billionaire Bill just handed them billions more while cutting support for solar, wind, EVs, and storage.

In this episode of The Clean Energy Edge Podcast, Russ Bates and Brian Scott bring the receipts:

Direct subsidies still in place: Intangible Drilling Costs (~$4B/yr), Percentage Depletion (since 1926), Accelerated Depreciation, and below-market Federal Leasing.

Indirect subsidies hidden in plain sight: $81B/yr military protection of oil routes, $649B/yr in health and climate damages, and liability caps that left taxpayers with the bill for disasters like Deepwater Horizon.

Big Billionaire Bill (BBB): $70B in NEW fossil subsidies, reduced royalties, non-competitive leasing, and expanded nuclear aid — all while slashing clean energy credits.

The real comparison: Fossil fuels and nuclear got 5–10x more support in their first 15 years than renewables ever did. Since 1950, taxpayers have spent ~$846B on fossil fuels vs. ~$200B on renewables (2025$).

👉 Every gallon of gas, every kWh of coal power is already subsidized — you just don’t see the bill. If fossil fuels had to pay their true costs, they’d be anything but cheap.

📌 Subscribe now to The Clean Energy Edge Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts for honest conversations on energy, policy, and the future of our economy.

#CleanEnergy #FossilFuels #EnergyPolicy #ClimateTruth #Subsidies #Solar #Wind #EVs #TheGreatFossilFuelHandout