If you have questions about the future of wind energy, U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D. CO) & Energy Secretary Steven Chu will be providing answers today at 4 PM PT:
http://cleantechnica.com/...
At 4pm ET on energy.gov/live, the two clean energy leaders “will discuss the progress of wind energy and the importance of robust policy support to ensure continued American leadership in the sector,” the Department of Energy (DOE) writes. “The event will be livestreamed on energy.gov/live, and we’ll be taking questions from both in-person and online audiences.”
You can submit questions a few ways:
via email: newmedia@hq.doe.gov
via Facebook (post a comment on the DOE page): https://www.facebook.com/...
via Google+ (post a comment on the DOE page): https://plus.google.com/...
or by tweeting @ENERGY using #AskEnergy. - Clean Technia, 12/19/12
Udall has been an ardent supporter of extending the Wind Production Tax Credit. Here's a little background info:
http://www.startribune.com/...
The production tax credit gives wind power investors a 10-year subsidy on a wind farm's output that's roughly equivalent to 30 percent of a project's original cost. The tax credit has existed, off and on, for two decades, helping to build a wind power industry that powers more than 13 million U.S. homes. - Star Tribune, 12/15/12
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), is fighting hard to have the tax credit extended:
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the trade group lobbying for the credit extension, points to the Senate Finance Committee's overwhelming bipartisan approval of tax extensions including the PTC as the basis for hope.
The association has stressed the loss of 37,000 American jobs tied to wind power if the tax credit ends. AWEA also points to the outspoken support from Sens. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, as well as the backing of Minnesota's two Democratic senators, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, and endorsements from several House Republicans. - Star Tribune, 12/15/12
Senator Udall is a strong supporter of extending the Wind Production Tax Credit:
In the last two months, I’ve been standing up on the Senate floor nearly every day that Congress has been in session, making sure that no member of the Senate could fail to understand the importance of the Wind Production Tax Credit.
What else can I say? I’ve talked about its benefits to the economies of not just Colorado, but more than twenty other states. I’ve mentioned how it impacts our economy by inspiring entrepreneurs and creating and sustaining thousands of skilled jobs. I’ve talked about how our dependence on fossil fuels is a national security risk, and that a focus on developing our nation’s vast renewable potential keeps our country more stable and our troops more safe.
Extend the PTC
I’ll keep up my work – I couldn’t be more certain that investing in our clean energy future is the right move for our economy and for the health and safety of future generations of Americans – but now I need your help.
Please sign my petition letting Congress know that here in Colorado we want to support wind energy jobs and continue investing in a clean energy future.
If Congress doesn’t act, the PTC will expire at the end of the year, and thousands of good jobs would be under immediate threat. Wind energy is a fast-growing industry, and with a stable tax policy, the industry could support 100,000 jobs by 2016, and as many as 500,000 jobs by 2030.
Sincerely,
Senator Mark Udall
You can sign the petition here:
http://www.markudall.com/...