The Economist concludes its coverage of the trade off this way: “Congress is freeing up one part of the energy industry while picking winners in another.”
The omnibus spending package: good energy policy, bad energy policy
The decades-old legislation that prevented American producers from exporting oil is officially overturned—despite previous presidential threats to veto a bill to lift the oil export ban. That’s good policy. However, to get the support of “reluctant Democrats,” The Economistreports: “an additional five years of tax credits for wind and solar power” was part of the package. That’s bad energy policy.
