Tax breaks and other subsidies for oil companies have been getting a lot of attention lately, to the extent that cutting them has even made it into an actual Congressional proposal. The issue has been around forever, but I like to flatter myself by thinking that the Environmental Law Institute’s report on fossil subsidies that I consulted on has something to do with it. Wishful thinking, perhaps. But if the Democrats can dream that they may actually eliminate some of these things, then I can dream that I had a hand in it.

The driver for all of this, the good work of ELI not withstanding, is the deficit, of course. Everyone is looking for ways to try to