Sen. Alexander: Forget 'Big Oil,' cut tax breaks for 'Big Wind'

A day after the Senate rejected legislation to slash subsidies for “Big Oil,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said it’s time to consider eliminating tax breaks for “Big Wind.”

“My colleagues want to talk about 'Big Oil' all week. I think we ought to be talking about ‘Big Wind,’” Alexander said during a Senate Appropriations hearing on the Energy Department’s budget.

Alexander said the wind industry will receive $27 billion in tax breaks over the next 10 years. The bill to cut oil tax breaks for the largest oil companies would save $21 billion over 10 years, Democrats say.

Although he voted against the Democrats’ tax breaks repeal bill, Alexander suggested Wednesday the he could be supportive of a broader effort to eliminate subsidies for a range of energy sectors. He said part of the savings should be used for energy research and development.

“I wonder whether some of these long-term subsidies for energy, whether ‘Big Oil’ or ‘Big Wind,’ might better be spent for research,” Alexander said.

“To continue to subsidize over the long-term a mature industry isn’t appropriate," he added later.