BailoutWatch – Tracking government support for the fossil fuel industry.

REPORT: Fossil Fuel Firms Slashed Nearly 60,000 Jobs In 2020 While Pocketing $8.2 Billion Tax Bailout

As Washington weighs ending fossil fuel tax subsidies, oil and gas companies are quietly disclosing how many millions (or billions) they received from a pandemic tax break last year — and how many jobs they cut.

LEARN MORE

Latest On Bailout

Reports, news, and analysis on how the fossil fuel industry is using federal bailout money.

offshore drilling oil rig

Analysis

Bailed-out, bankrupt oil firms pay millions in executive bonuses while laying off workers

Sen. Ted Cruz and other champions of fossil fuel bailouts said sending government funds to fossil fuels would protect workers. But the companies are giving executives bonuses, slashing jobs, and forcing investor losses in court.

Oil well pumpjack Rocky Mountains Colorado

Analysis

Sundance Energy seeks bankruptcy protection after laying off workers and approving executive bonuses

The bailout double-dipper reported a brief spike in employment when obtaining a bailout, raising questions about the truthfulness of its application.

offshore drilling finance chart

Analysis

Fossil Fuels Used $100M Tax Bailouts To Pay Shareholders While Slashing Jobs

With oil and gas claiming they get “no special tax treatment,” new data show polluters with the biggest tax bailouts mostly used the money to increase payments to shareholders while eliminating jobs.

Report

Bailed Out and Propped Up

The fossil fuel industry received between $10.4 billion and $15.2 billion in direct economic relief from federal efforts under President Donald Trump.

Read More
President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act in the early days of the pandemic.

News

Fossil fuel plant pollution
Report

Brookings: How Biden And Congress Can Use COVID-Related Corporate Stimulus To Boost Climate Resilience

The Brookings Institute arges that the U.S. should use pandemic recovery funds to incentivize corporations to better confront their own climate risk exposure.

Read Report