The problem here is that there is no set definition for “subsidy.” Does your chart include price supports for growing corn and tax credits for foreign royalties paid by oil and gas companies? The Environmental Law Institutes studies did, and they came up with quite different numbers (and their study spans more years, 2002-2008):
They put the values at 72.5 billion for fossil fuels vs 29.0 billion for renewables:
A study released by the Environmental Law Institute, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, shows that the federal government has provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewables. Subsidies to fossil fuels totaled approximately $72 billion over the seven-year study period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled $29 billion over the same period. The vast majority of subsidies support energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel. Moreover, just a handful of tax breaks make up the largest portion of subsidies for fossil fuels, with the most significant of these, the Foreign Tax Credit, supporting the overseas production of oil. More than half of the subsidies for renewables are attributable to corn-based ethanol, the use of which, while decreasing American reliance on foreign oil, has generated concern about climate effects.These figures raise the question of whether scarce government funds might be better allocated to move the United States towards a low-carbon economy.
Also, I don’t think we can compare decades worth of subsidies enjoyed by the fossil fuel sector with current subsidies for renewables. Renewables are in the startup phase, so even if they do currently enjoy more subsidies (which is suspect), it is still a pittance compared to what fossil fuels have received over time. Would renewables pencil better if they were able to enjoy the 40+ years of subsidies enjoyed by non-renewables? I don’t see how you can say no.
I’d also like to see external costs count as subsidies. Perhaps we can call them hidden subsidies? For example, supporting a military to protect our interests in obtaining energy, or the environmental/health costs incurred by energy extraction/refining/transport/etc.
