Petroleum Research and Development Program Background The DOE's Petroleum Research and Development (R&D) program focuses on enhanced recovery, exploration, and refinement of crude oil in the United States. This program uses millions of taxpayer dollars to benefit oil companies, such as Chevron, Texaco, Amoco, Phillips Petroleum, and ARCO, that are profitable enough to conduct their own research and development.
Green Scissors Proposal Eliminate the DOE's Petroleum Research and Development program, saving $287.5 million over five years.
Project Hurts Taxpayers Market forces already spur oil industry research in enhanced recovery and exploration. The DOE's Petroleum R&D program competes with or duplicates private research, thereby wasting taxpayer dollars.
Project Hurts Environment All aspects of oil production have severe environmental consequences. Oil refining is a major source of chemical releases reported through the U.S. Toxics Release Inventory. It is estimated that the oil industry loses the equivalent of approximately 280 million barrels of oil per year through leaks, spills, and inefficiencies. Moreover, burning oil is a major source of smog-forming pollution and global warming gases.
$287.5 million