SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
May, 07 2009, 01:06pm EDT
Contact:
Nick Berning, 202-222-0748
Kate McMahon, 202-222-0715
Biofuels Slated to Receive More than $400 Billion in Federal Subsidies
New report from Friends of the Earth documents how biofuels industry gains at taxpayers’ and environment’s expense
WASHINGTON
Friends of the Earth released a report today that examines the
extent to which the biofuels industry is subsidized by federal tax
credits and a federal renewable fuels mandate. The report finds that
between 2008 and 2022, biofuels will receive more than $400 billion in
subsidies.
The report also shows that, rather than promoting the production of
less harmful biofuels, many of these subsidies are supporting the most
environmentally damaging ones, such as corn ethanol.
"The size of these subsidies is extraordinary, particularly given
how poorly we screen the environmental impacts produced by their
recipients. The subsidies are accelerating environmental damage," said
Doug Koplow of Earth Track, who authored the report. "There are far
better ways to spend this money."
"What we've found is that not only is the biofuels industry harming
the environment, but that the government is paying it to do so," said
Kate McMahon, biofuels campaigner at Friends of the Earth. "President
Obama released a $3.5 trillion budget proposal today. If he's looking
for a place to make some cuts, these giveaways to the biofuels industry
would be a great place to start."
The report can be viewed at https://www.foe.org/sites/default/files/FOE%20VEETC%20Evaluation%20FINAL.pdf.
A one-page document summarizing the report's findings can be found at: https://www.foe.org/sites/default/files/VEETC%201%20pager%20FINAL.pdf.
More information about Friends of the Earth's work to roll back environmentally harmful biofuels subsidies can be found at https://www.foe.org/biofuelssubsidies.
Friends of the Earth fights for a more healthy and just world. Together we speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature.
(202) 783-7400LATEST NEWS
Sanders Warns RFK Jr.'s Purge of Vaccine Experts 'Will Lead to Preventable Illness and Death'
"This is a continuation of Trump and Kennedy's dangerous war on science," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "It cannot stand."
Jun 10, 2025
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced the removal of every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of independent experts tasked with developing vaccine recommendations for the American public.
Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journalop-ed that he was "retiring" all 17 members of the panel known as ACIP, despite promising during his Senate confirmation process to keep the committee intact.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, warned in a statement that "firing independent vaccine experts is a dangerous, unprecedented move that will make it harder for the American people to access vaccines that are safe, effective, and essential to saving lives."
"For decades, Secretary Kennedy has spread lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines," said Sanders. "Now, with Trump's backing, he's doubling down on misinformation that will lead to preventable illness and death. At a time when we should be strengthening trust in science and expanding access to health care, this administration is doing the exact opposite. This is a continuation of Trump and Kennedy's dangerous war on science. It cannot stand."
In early February, just days before Kennedy's confirmation to lead HHS, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) declared in a floor speech that Kennedy had pledged to "maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes."
Cassidy, who voted in favor of confirming Kennedy, said in response to the Monday purge that "of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion."
"I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy," Cassidy wrote on social media, "and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case."
"The wholesale firing and replacement of ACIP members is a blatantly political act that will undermine scientific impartiality and integrity, not promote it."
The total removal of ACIP members came roughly two weeks after Kennedy unilaterally ended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women, circumventing the input of ACIP.
In his Wall Street Journal op-ed, Kennedy complained that some of the 17 members he ousted "were last-minute appointees of the Biden administration" and that "without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028."
Kennedy argued that "a clean sweep" of the panel was "needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science." But experts said the move would have the opposite effect, further undermining trust in federal vaccine policy.
"You have to worry that he may be bringing in people who are like-minded to him," Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a former ACIP member, toldThe Washington Post. "He just makes these decisions by himself, without any input from advisory committees or experts or professional societies. He is just running roughshod over public health."
Dr. Robert Steinbrook, director of the Public Citizen Health Research Group, said in a statement that "removing all the members of the ACIP and replacing them with new members is far more likely to destroy public confidence in the federal government's approach to vaccines than to restore trust."
"It shouldn't matter which administration appointed the members of a federal scientific advisory committee," said Steinbrook. "The wholesale firing and replacement of ACIP members is a blatantly political act that will undermine scientific impartiality and integrity, not promote it."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Authoritarian Escalation': Trump Deploys US Marines to Help Put Down LA Protests
"Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach," said California's Democratic governor, who sued over the president's takeover of the state's National Guard. "We will not let this stand."
Jun 09, 2025
As President Donald Trump deployed U.S. Marines to Los Angeles on Monday in response to protests against immigration raids and the violent arrest of a popular labor leader, California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office announced that he and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over their weekend takeover of the state's National Guard.
"President Trump's order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles—over the objections of the governor and local law enforcement—is unnecessary and counterproductive. It's also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation's wars," Bonta said in a statement.
"Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends," he added. "Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the president's authority under the law—and not one we take lightly. We're asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order."
As of press time, the filing was not yet available, but it was set to be shared on Bonta's government website.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday, sparking intense protests. Trump's memorandum came on Saturday, prompting Newsom's Sunday letter formally requesting that the president reverse course. The governor also previewed the new lawsuit during a Sunday interview with MSNBC.
"Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority. This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic," Newsom, who widely seen as a 2028 presidential contender, said Monday.
"Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach," he argued. "This is beyond incompetence—this is him intentionally causing chaos, terrorizing communities, and endangering the principles of our great democracy. It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand."
Trump's actions and remarks related to the protests against ICE in California have elicited fears of wider repression during his second term.
Criticism continued to mount on Monday, with Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution, declaring that "this is not law and order—it's tyranny... When power is concentrated in the hands of a corrupt few, and dissent is met with armed repression, democracy itself is under siege. We must call this what it is: a threat to the republic."
Before the Marine deployment on Monday, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) said in a statement that "Trump politicizing and weaponizing the National Guard makes us all less safe and less free. His threat to deploy the Marines into the streets of an American city is an illegal and authoritarian escalation."
Politicoreported Monday that the administration ordered about 700 Marines to Los Angeles, and while it is not yet clear what role they will play, "one of the defense officials said they will likely support the 2,000 National Guard troops sent to assist law enforcement."
Casar tied the recent events in Los Angeles to congressional Republicans' evolving budget reconciliation package, saying that "Trump's threats have nothing to do with keeping people safe—it's about political theater. He's scapegoating immigrants to distract from the GOP's real agenda: ripping healthcare away from millions to pay for tax cuts for the ultrarich."
"We will not be intimidated," he added. "Progressives are standing up to this administration, including by conducting lawful oversight at ICE detention centers in Los Angeles and across the country. We stand with Angelenos, and we stand with immigrant families everywhere. The president must return command of the National Guard to Gov. Newsom."
Keep ReadingShow Less
6,000+ Health Professionals Warn Trump Attacks 'Will Cost Lives'
"We cannot fill the void that is being created by these reckless and deep cuts, which are tearing apart crucial systems for protecting and promoting Americans' health," states an open letter.
Jun 09, 2025
In a open letter released Monday, over 6,000 doctors, researchers, nurses, and other health professionals issued a rebuke of the Trump administration's cuts to agencies and programs that focus on medical care and public health, as well as efforts by congressional Republicans to cut the health insurance program Medicaid.
"As health professionals on the frontlines, we have dedicated our careers to protecting the health of our patients and improving health in our communities and states," the letter states. "However, we cannot fill the void that is being created by these reckless and deep cuts, which are tearing apart crucial systems for protecting and promoting Americans' health. We are certain this will cost lives."
The U.S. Senate is currently reviewing a sweeping, House-passed reconciliation package that includes deep cuts to Medicaid, tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy, and other items.
"If Medicaid funding decreases, many Americans may go without care and most of the clinics and hospitals across the country will suffer financially. Some will have to close their doors, especially in rural areas," according to the letter.
The group also highlighted Trump administration efforts to carry out cuts at federal agencies tasked with ensuring the country's food, drugs, and environment are safe.
The Trump administration "is slashing funding for medical research and is slowing the approval of new drugs, jeopardizing our ability to provide the best care that science recommends," according to the letter. "Access to lifesaving treatments may be delayed."
The watchdog group Public Citizen published a statement on Monday which included a link to the letter, as well as a quote from Dr. Robert Steinbrook, the Health Research Group director at Public Citizen, who also signed the letter.
"We must continue to sound the alarm about the Trump administration's attacks and threats against our healthcare system," said Steinbrook.
The letter concludes with a plug for readers to challenge these actions by the Trump administration. The letter includes a way for readers to contact their federal lawmakers, and urges them to attend town halls, among other actions.
Also Monday, dozens of scientists, researchers, and other employees at the U.S. National Institutes of Health sent a separate letter addressed to NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya criticizing funding cuts.
"We dissent to administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe," that letter states. It says that NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants tallying some $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion in contracts since January 20.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular