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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Federal incentives for energy development

Journal Article · · Energy Int.; (United States)
From 1918 to 1977, the federal government spent $211 billion on incentives to encourage the development of six major conventional energy sources: 1) oil, $101.3 billion (48%), 2) electricity transmission and distribution, $50.5 billion (23.9%), 3) commercial nuclear power, $18 billion (8.5%), 4) natural gas, $16 billion (7.6%), 5) hydropower, $15.3 billion (7.3%), and 6) coal, $9.8 billion (4.6%). These funds were disbursed in six ways: 1) taxation (46.3%), 2) requirements, such as price controls (20.5%), 3) market activities, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (19.2%), 4) nontraditional government services (9.3%), 5) traditional services (4.2%), and 6) direct payment (0.5%). An analysis indicates that the major reason for these incentives were to promote the development of a new technology and to make up the difference between the value of an activity to the public sector and its value to the private sector.
OSTI ID:
6835990
Journal Information:
Energy Int.; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Int.; (United States) Vol. 5; ISSN ENEIB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English