In honor of Earth Day this past Sunday, NPP’s focus this week is on the environment.

The Federal Priorities Database—our collection of spending and indicators compiled into one easy-to-use, free search tool--has several data collections related to energy and the environment. 

The data below have the latest available information about your state:

Alternative Fuel Vehicles: the estimated number of alternative fuel vehicles in use, 2003-2009

Electric Emissions: emissions generated by electricity plants, 1990-2010

Energy Consumption by Source: total energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear electric, and renewable sources, 1990-2009

Energy Consumption Per Person: total energy consumption per person ...

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we're talking this week about federal spending on energy and environment. Betty from Hailey, Idaho, wrote to us about subsidies for oil companies. Thanks for writing, Betty – it's an interesting subject. Warning: We may have to get a bit wonky.

The federal government subsidizes all sorts of things through the tax code. For instance, you may take a tax deduction for interest on your home mortgage. That's a subsidy for homeowners. Similarly, there are many such tax subsidies that benefit corporations. And a few of those benefit oil companies ...

Senior research analyst Chris Hellman takes a look at the energy policies laid out in last week's State of the Union address. You can find the full text of President Obama's address here.

President Obama presented the American

Jobs Act of 2011 on September 8th and sent it to Congress

on September 12th. Want to know what it's all about?

Here’s the rundown.

How does it help…

the unemployed? It makes it

illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed job

applicants because of their unemployed status, and would extend

unemployment benefits, among other provisions.

employers? It cuts the payroll tax

in half for 98 percent of companies. It also gives a $4,000 bonus to

employers who hire the long-term unemployed.

veterans? It creates a “Returning

Heroes” tax credit to employers ...

The

White House Office of Public Engagement has scheduled a series of ten

state calls (see list and specific invitation below). Note there are

two calls today (Wednesday) for folks in California and Colorado and

the rest through the end of this week. You are welcome to forward

this invitation far and wide.

White

House staff want to speak with constituents about the federal budget

deficit/debt deal. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. NPP

hopes you will be able to join in and ask a question and/or make a

comment. (Tip: Call facilitators often give instructions ...

In

the midst of Congressional debates about debt, budget cuts, and tax

increases, a “penny poll” was held in every

Maine county asking participants, “How would you like your federal tax

dollars spent?” Mainers Larry Dansinger and Lisa Savage were among the leading coordinators of this effort.Education, health care, and veterans’ benefits were the top choices

for federal spending among the1,552 Mainers participating in polls conducted in each of Maine's 16 counties.The

results -- determined after counting 15,377 pennies -- diverge considerably from

the actual spending by Congress, but were relatively consistent in

different parts of the ...

NPP

Provides State-Level Analysis of the President'sFiscal

Year 2012 Budget RequestToday

the White House released the Obama Administration's budget request

for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins on October 1, 2011.

As

expected, the estimated $3.7 trillion FY2012 request contains a

number of critical policy and fiscal goals, including:

Reducing

the government's annual deficit by placing a five-year freeze on

so-called "non-security" discretionary spending, while

eliminating a series of fossil fuel-related tax breaks and projecting

an end to the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in 2012;

Investing

in education, with a goal of training more ...

To the Congress of the United States:America is emerging from the worst recession in generations. In 2010, an economy that had been shrinking began to grow again. After nearly 2 years of job losses, America’s businesses added more than one million jobs. Our capital and credit markets are functioning and strong. Manufacturing is coming back. And after teetering on the brink of liquidation just 2 years ago, America’s auto industry is posting healthy gains and returning money to the taxpayers who helped it through a period of turmoil. The determination and resilience of the American people and ...

As one third of the country prepares

for winter weather this week, state and local governments are

struggling to find a way to pay for the aftermath. Snow and ice

removal is taking a toll on budgets across the country, and winter is

not yet over. Today we'll take a quick look at some of those

governments and how they are planning to meet their needs.

States that do not usually see snow in

the winter, particularly in the South, are finding other places in

the budget to take their snow removal money from. South Carolina, who

spent an ...

Tuesday night, the President delivered

his annual State of the Union address before a joint session of

Congress. Article II, Section 3 of the US Constitution requires the

President to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of

the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such

Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Presidents

have historically sent a written State of the Union to Congress, but

every president since Woodrow Wilson has chosen to deliver it in

person.

With the government operating on a

continuing resolution instead of an actual budget, and control of ...