Assuming, of course, that PG&E doesn't get any kind of subsidy itself. This is almost certainly not the case. I can't find directly comparable data; the close

Assuming, of course, that PG&E doesn't get any kind of subsidy itself. This is almost certainly not the case. I can't find directly comparable data; the closest I could find was something[1] from the U.S. department of energy that claims a 2007 allocation of about $10 billion to areas other than research, end use, and conservation. If you believe Wikipedia's figures[2] of 29 PWh in 2005 and assume that 2005 and 2007 are similar enough to compare, that's about $0.36 per kilowatt hour in subsidies. If we assume that PG&E is typical, it implies that they're already charging $0.36 less than their "true costs" as a result of federal subsidies. It's an extremely rough figure, and I suspect a proper breakdown would give a much lower number, but it does demonstrate that removing the effect of subsidies is not so simple. edit: Helps if I actually include citations. [1]http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/subsidy2/pdf/execsum.pdf http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/subsidy2/pdf/execsum.... [2]https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Energy_in_the...