WIND TAX INCENTIVES EXTENSION PASSES CONGRESS
East County News Service
December 17, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – A bill to extend the wind production tax credit and investment tax credit, along with other tax incentives for wind energy developers, has passed both houses of Congress and is now on President Barack Obama’s desk.
H.R. 5771 passed the House by a vote of 378 to 46 and passed the Senate by a 78 to 16 vote margin.
The wind industry had sought a two-year extension, but this measure extends the tax credits only through 2015.
The Obama administration has touted wind energy as a key component of its plans for addressing climate change and reducing fossil fuel use.
Aaron Severn, director of legislative affairs for the American Wind Energy Association, says “Unfortunately, this last-minute extension does not provide enough lead time to incentivize many new projects.”
The news is also disappointing to opponents of the tax incentives, who have argued that many wind energy projects are boondoggles such as in Ocotillo, where the project has thus far failed to produce the energy promised, but caused significant environmental damage and disruption for residents.