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By Dana Drugmand

Nov. 12, 2018 11:26AM EST

Koch Industries is calling for the elimination of tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs), all while claiming that it does not oppose plug-in cars and inviting the elimination of oil and gas subsidies that the petroleum conglomerate and its industry peers receive.

Outgoing Nevada Republican Senator Dean Heller introduced a bill in September that would lift the sales cap on electric vehicles eligible for a federal tax credit, and replace the cap with a deadline that would dictate when the credit would start being phased out.

Under the current tax credit for EVs, once a manufacturer sells 200,000 EVs in the U.S. the amount of the credit gets slashed in half, then halved again. The full credit amount is $7,500. Tesla has already hit the 200,000 cap and GM will soon reach it, so both companies would benefit from a tax credit extension via eliminating the sales cap. Heller's bill lifts the 200,000 vehicle limit and substitutes a phase-out period starting in 2022.

But the conservative senator's bill is facing opposition from the conservative billionaire Koch brothers.

In a letter to senators dated Oct. 24, Koch Industries lobbyist Philip Ellender urges opposition to the expansion of EV tax credits through 2022. Ellender claims that the tax credits primarily benefit wealthy consumers and that subsidization interferes with "innovation and consumer choice."

The letter cites two studies, each by a right-wing think tank. One study comes from the Pacific Research Institute, which has received fossil fuel funding—including more than $1.7 million from Koch-related foundations and $615,000 from ExxonMobil. The PRI study, "Costly Subsidies for the Rich: Quantifying the Subsidies Offered to Battery Electric Powered Cars," emphasizes that "the majority of the dollar benefits from energy and electric car subsidies are paid to tax filers in the higher income tax brackets."

The other study is from the Manhattan Institute, another "free market think tank" that takes in money from the Koch network and Exxon. The study paints a misleading picture of EVs and their subsidies.

In addition to citing biased studies by groups tied to Koch money, Ellender claims in the letter, "We do not oppose electric vehicles."

This sentiment echoes the company's 2016 advertorial, in which Koch Industries claimed to be "all for electric vehicles."

Ellender also claims that Koch Industries is against any and all energy subsidies, even ones that benefit the company. According to the letter:

Instead of expanding this subsidy for wealthy EV owners, Congress should eliminate it along with all other energy incentives—including eliminating any incentives given to us and our competitors where we may participate. We are focused on long-term value creation, not short-term windfalls.
In reality, while Koch Industries is claiming publicly to support ending fossil fuel subsidies (along with EV and clean energy incentives), Koch lobbyists have long worked to ensure that the petroleum industry continues to get subsidized.

As Koch vs. Clean previously pointed out, "In a detailed 2011 report on Koch Industries, the Center for Public Integrity wrote: 'Oil is the core of the Koch business empire, and the company's lobbyists and officials have successfully fought to preserve the industry's tax breaks and credits.' The report documented that Koch lobbyists have worked to preserve billions of dollars in oil industry subsidies, including the Section 199 manufacturing tax deduction and the 'last-in, first out' accounting rule."

In fact, according to the International Business Times, Koch Industries has itself directly secured subsidies totaling more than $195 million.

The Koch network also lobbied for the Trump tax cuts that became law late last year. The corporate tax cut is not specific to energy, but it benefits giant corporations including Big Oil and Koch Industries nonetheless. Americans for Tax Fairness estimated that the Kochs would save more than $1 billion just this year from the tax cut—a significant windfall for a corporate behemoth that claims, "We  are focused on long-term value creation, not short-term windfalls."

Koch vs. California: These Groups Want Pruitt 🐒 to Undo the State’s Right to Regulate Auto Emissions https://www.ecowatch.com/california-pruitt-koch-emissions-standards-2558995169.html … @ewg @UCSUSA @YEARSofLIVING @ClimateReality @greenpeaceusa @EnvDefenseFund

9:50 AM - Apr 11, 2018

https://www.ecowatch.com/koch-electric-vehicles-tax-credit-2619368336.html

Agelbert NOTE: If the Democrats are smart, they will push multiple bills thorugh the House of Representatives EVERY MONTH, which INCREASE the tax credit for EVs to $20,000 with NO CAP on the number of vehicles AND allow people with less than that amount of annual income tax to take the remaining credit in subsequent tax years. As it stands now with the $7,500 tax credit, only the wealthy who pay $7,500 or more a year in taxes can get the full tax credit because the law was stupidly (or cleverly 😈, if you are a fossil fueler) written to allow the credit to be used in only one tax year.


Yeah, the GOP 🦕🦖 Senate 🙉 🙊 would stop all these bills in their tracks. BUT, National attention would be publicized hither and yon to the FACT that subsidizing EVs so the average person can buy one would

1. IMPROVE the HEALTH of Americans by  IMPROVING air quality for humans AND myriad species in the biosphere, AND
 
2. Help mitigate Climate Change, making it COST EFFECTIVE.

All the blocking and whining about "funding" by the Fossil Fuel Fascists 🐉🦕🦖 in the Senate would cast the GOP in the well deserved role of the enemy of we-the-people AND the Biosphere.

REMEMBER that the GOP Bastards, when they controlled the House of Representatives, tried 70 TIMES over EIGHT YEARS, to destroy the A.C.A. they deliberately, with malice aforethought, demonized as "Obamacare". If they could do that EVIL 70 TIMES, the least the Democratic Party can do is 70 attempts TO PASS $20,000 EV TAX CREDIT GOOD LEGISLATION.


 The Fossil Fuelers 🦖 DID THE Clean Energy  Inventions suppressing, Climate Trashing, human health depleting CRIME,   but since they have ALWAYS BEEN liars and conscience free crooks 🦀, they are trying to AVOID   DOING THE TIME or   PAYING THE FINE!     Don't let them get away with it! Pass it on!