AFP Urges White House to Abandon Misguided Plan to Prop Up Coal and Nuclear Plants with Taxpayer Subsidies
Arlington, VA – Following news reports Tuesday that President Trump instructed U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to prevent closures of nuclear and coal power facilities through the use of subsidies and mandates, Americans for Prosperity sharply criticized the proposal calling the action an unprecedented government intervention in electricity markets.
AFP urged the administration to work with federal and state regulators to eliminate distortions and find market solutions that promote greater competition and choice for consumers while at the same time enhance the resiliency of the nation’s energy grid.
AFP Policy Manager Mary Kate Hopkins issued the following statement:
“For far too long, special interests have come to Washington hoping to receive from the Government what they fail to obtain from the market. When government protects favored industries with subsidies and mandates, it perpetuates the two-teared society that benefits special interests at the expense of the less fortunate.”
“To think this new wave of subsidies is going to make up for past mistakes propping up uncompetitive industries is misguided and would negatively impact consumers and business with higher energy rates. Instead of issuing a new wave of subsidies, the White House should work with Congress and regulators to eliminate all subsidies and distortions that promote unfair competition and pick winners and losers in electricity markets.”
For further information or to set up an interview, please send an email to GBraud@afphq.org.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local, state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream – especially the least fortunate. AFP has more than 3.2 million activists across the nation, a local infrastructure that includes 36 state chapters, and has received financial support from more than 100,000 Americans in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
###
