The following is a written statement by Aileen Roder, Program Director at Taxpayers for Common Sense on introduction of legislation to curb Section 29 abuses.

Washington, D.C. – Taxpayers for Common Sense puts the scissors in the Green Scissors Coalition, which for nearly a decade has been taking on special interests who come to Capitol Hill with their hands out, expecting taxpayers to waste their money on programs that harm the environment. With the largest deficits in our nation's history and lawmakers addicted to election year pork, we've got to 'just say no' to out-of-control federal spending.

The energy bill is the mother load of pork and one of the most ill-advised pieces of legislation that our organization has ever seen. Congressional logrolling almost greased this hog up enough to squeeze it through the Capitol doors, but luckily it choked on its own excess. Our organization did a line by line review of the bill and was startled, yes startled with the waste we encountered. One provision would renew and expand the Section 29 tax credits for so-called nonconventional fuels. Current estimates place the cost of this tax break at more than $2.8 billion over five years. These are some of the most wasteful sections in the whole tax code and include things like a spray and pray provision that allows coal companies to spray their coal with virtually anything and then they double their money with this tax credit. This tax credit is free money for companies, siphoning off precious taxpayers dollars into the pockets of big industry.

The tax credit is adjusted for inflation and is equal to $26 per ton of coal and $6 per barrel of liquid fuels. It is astounding, on the one hand we refuse to adjust the AMT which would help millions of middle class Americans for inflation, meanwhile we adjust the Section 29 credit for inflation to benefit special interests. It is time to stop this abuse. Taxpayers for Common Sense is proud to be here today as Congressman Doggett introduces his important legislation to curb the abuse of the Section 29 tax credit. We stand ready to work with Congressman Doggett and the Green Scissors Caucus to fight this pork.