Taxpayers for common sense.

First article: Coal Industry Profits
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?action=issues&proj_id=4984&category=Energy&type=Project
Five facts/details:
1.) Since 1789, the federal government has provided tax subsidies to domestic coal suppliers in order to ensure the competitiveness of the industry.
2.) Rio Tinto Energy America, one of the largest coal suppliers in the world, has increased its net income nearly four-fold since 2008.
3.) CONSOL Energy’s CEO J. Brett Harvey took home $20.1 million in 2010, over $8 million more than 2008.
4.) Congress should end coal tax subsidies now for an energy source that’s had literally hundreds of years to develop.
5.) Coal prices have steadily increased since 2002.

Second article: Farm Bill Fiasco
http://www.taxpayer.net/resources.php?action=issues&proj_id=4938&category=Federal%20Budget&type=Project
1.) Super Committee charged with reducing deficit by $1.2 trillion.
2.) Members of USDA know that cuts are coming to Agriculture when the current Farm Bill expires in 2012.
3.) President Obama proposed $33 billion worth of savings from agriculture.
4.) The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation Congress passes about every five years to create, continue, or modify hundreds of programs relating to agriculture.
5.) The Super Committee needs to stay focused on its job—reducing the deficit—and savings from mandatory spending programs like agriculture should be part of it.