Dear AWEA Small Wind Turbine Committee,
The industry needs your help. If your Congressman does NOT appear on the list below, please urge him or her to sign a letter in support of including a small wind tax credit in a final House/Senate energy bill by clicking here: http://capwiz.com/windenergy/issues/alert/?alertid=10306356
Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Chairman of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee, has voiced his support of small wind and has included an incentive for small-wind customers in the recently-passed House energy tax bill (HR 3221). However, the provision in this bill is drastically different than the 30% investment tax credit for residential and business uses proposed in the original bill, HR 1772 - the Rural Wind Energy Development Act introduced by Reps. Blumenauer (D-OR) and Cole (R-OK).
The good news is that there is a small wind incentive program included in the energy bill that passed the House. The bad news is this new provision in HR 3221 would create a highly complex - and far less effective - system of state-level loans that would not even necessarily be dedicated to small wind technologies and would only apply to residential applications (not businesses).
Please send a letter to your Representative asking him or her to sign a letter from Rep. Blumenauer's office asking that Chairman Rangel advocate for a 30% investment tax for both residential and business small wind turbine applications. If you are a member of an organization, business, or advocacy group, consider sending your own Action Alert to your fellow members.
Important: The following Congressmen do not need to be contacted because they have already signed this letter. However, you are welcome to write or call to thank them for their support.
Congressmen who do NOT need to be contacted:
Bartlett, Roscoe (R-MD)
Blumenauer, Earl (D-OR)
Boyda, Nancy (D-KS)
Braley, Bruce (D-IA)
Cleaver, Emanuel (D-MO)
DeFazio, Peter (D-OR)
DeGette, Diana (D-CO)
Delahunt, William (D-MA)
Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX)
Fortenberry, Jeff (R-NE)
Frank, Barney (D-MA)
Goode, Virgil (R-VA)
Grijalva, Raul (D-AZ)
Hall, John (D-NY)
Hinojosa, Rubén (D-TX)
Inslee, Jay (D-WA)
Lacey, Wm Clay (D-MO)
Lucas, Frank (R-OK)
McCotter, Thaddeus (R-MI)
McHugh, John (R-NY)
Michaud, Michael (D-ME)
Moore, Dennis (D-KS)
Paul, Ron (R-TX)
Randy, John Kuhl, Jr (R-NY)
Renzi, Rick (R-AZ)
Rodriguez, Ciro (D-TX)
Russell, Todd Platts (R-PA)
Stupak, Bart (D-MI)
Sutton, Betty (D-OH)
Udall, Mark (D-CO)
Van, Chris Hollen (D-MD)
Waxman, Henry (D-CA)
Woolsey, Lynn (D-CA)
Wu, David (D-OR)
Background
Small wind has had no federal support since 1985. Meanwhile, residential solar systems, which serve the same market as small wind, currently receive a 30% investment tax credit.
The federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) applies only to large utility-scale wind projects, not to individuals who want to install their own wind systems for on-site power. Federal support would help broaden the small-wind industry on a national scale.
For more information on small wind, see www.awea.org/smallwind
Many thanks,
Ron
Ron Stimmel
Small-Wind Advocate
American Wind Energy Association
1101 14th St. Nw, 12th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Ph: (202) 383-2500
reprinted with permission
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