Rick Perry, Ron Paul have mixed record on energy subsidies

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Source: Washington Post

Two Republican presidential candidates who have spoken out against federal subsidies for energy projects tried to obtain such benefits three years ago.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) pressed the energy secretary in 2008 to approve a federal loan guarantee to help an energy company hoping to expand a nuclear facility in Texas. NRG Energy was among the many firms vying for a slice of $18.5 billion in federal loan guarantees set aside for nuclear production, according to letters obtained by The Washington Post. That led to a rush of appeals from Congress members and other elected officials, including Perry and Paul, hoping to win support for their projects.

In recent candidates debates, the two have criticized federal energy loan programs.

“We don’t need to be subsidizing energy in any form or fashion,” Perry said during a forum on Tuesday night. Earlier this month, he said the federal government should not “be involved in that type of investment, period. If states want to choose to do that, I think that’s fine for states to do.”


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