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Energy tax reform a heavy lift for lawmakers
April 12, 2013 by Darren Goode in The Politico

Congress is slowly but steadily drilling into energy policy tax issues, but anyone hoping to see detailed plans soon may be disappointed. "Like any good play, you have to set the scenes, and we'll see what happens in the final act," said Steve Nadel, executive director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

States Cooling to Renewable Energy
March 28, 2013 by Ryan Tracy in Wall Street Journal

Mr. Sanford said he wrote the bill because he is opposed to government mandates, not because he favors any particular energy source-a sentiment echoed by legislators in other states. "Texas is blessed with a lot of incredible resources for energy, wind and solar amongst them. But they need to be developed with free-market principles, not with the heavy hand of government directing us to an inefficient process," he said in an interview.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

‘Tempered optimism' for the oil and gas industry
March 11, 2013 by Andrew Restuccia in The Politico

It's difficult to assess just how much oil and gas may be within reach, said Adam Sieminski, head of the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department's independent statistical arm. "The one thing I can say with absolute confidence here today is that our long-term forecasts are going to be wrong. It looks like the direction that we're going to be wrong, when it comes to oil, is that there's going to be more of it," he said.

Are energy projects causing loss of tourism dollars on public lands?
March 9, 2013 by Miriam Raftery in East County Magazine

Industrial-scale energy projects on Bureau of Land Management lands are pushed through by energy companies touting jobs and economic booms to communities. Not mentioned is the potential loss of tourism revenues if people stop coming to recreational areas that are visually blighted.

Also filed under [ Property Values| California]

It wins the hearts of environmentalists, but what does clean tech do for investors? Why some are heading for cover.
March 7, 2013 by Udayan Gupta in Wall Street Journal

Burdened by global overcapacity, slowing demand and the resurgence of fossil fuel production, clean-tech investments have fallen heavily out of favor. "Market analysts at Goldman Sachs, HSBC and UBS are now advising their clients to steer clear of clean tech."

Exelon chief: Wind-power subsidies could threaten nuclear plants
February 8, 2013 by Julie Wernau in Chicago Tribune

Crane has said the tax credit keeps turbines spinning even when there is no demand for power, driving down the price Exelon receives for power from its nuclear plants. In wind-rich areas like Illinois, that means there are instances when Exelon pays customers to take their power rather than the other way around.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Low wholesale electricity prices making waves in Montana's power industry
December 22, 2012 by Mike Dennison in Billings Gazette

Van Jamison, a vice president for Gaelectric, an Irish firm developing several wind projects in Montana, says in the past few months, scores of potential wind projects here have withdrawn their spot from the queue for transmission of their power, meaning they've pulled back on their plans. "This is not a very robust market, where you'll be able to make any kind of money any time soon."

Also filed under [ Montana]

Power producer Edison Mission nears bankruptcy filing
December 13, 2012 by Mike Spector in Wall Street Journal

Edison Mission owes bondholders $3.7 billion and could yet reach a deal with those creditors before next week in an attempt to stay out of bankruptcy. But the bonds are held by a wide array of investors, making it difficult to get enough creditors to sign off on a deal, the people familiar with the matter said.

Vestas cuts workers hours at two US factories
December 12, 2012 by James Quilter in Windpower Monthly

Vestas is cutting working hours at its Colorado blade plants at Windsor and Brighton in preparation for a post-PTC slowdown in the US wind sector. The company said it had told employees at the factories that it was reducing their weekly hours from 40 to 32 hours. The change will take effect in January.

Also filed under [ Colorado]

Republicans press administration to defend economics of offshore wind
November 9, 2012 in Fuel Fix

Senator David Vitter, R-L, said that the decision to permit an offshore wind farm - while still ruling out oil and gas development in the area - is evidence that the Obama administration is "picking energy industry winners and losers." "Sec. Salazar should at least be able to defend the economics of the lease sale for wind energy," Vitter said in a statement.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Layoffs, failures test Colorado's "new energy economy"
October 22, 2012 by Steve Raabe in The Denver Post

The resilience of Colorado's vaunted "new energy economy" is being tested after a series of job cuts, financial setbacks and political firestorms. ...Hard times for the green industries stem from a combination of technical challenges, low-cost foreign competition and an uncertain outlook for government support of alternative energy.

Also filed under [ Colorado]

Wind farms stir up controversy with green power, income and jobs
October 18, 2012 by Alan Yu in MeDill Reports

According to Glaess, Minnesota is losing money from the excess power because a state mandate requires the state to generate a certain amount of power from renewable sources, and it requires the state to buy that power, whether it is needed or not. "It's a terrible policy to make these mandates," Glaess said.

Taxpayers, ratepayers will fund California solar plants
September 21, 2012 by Evan Halper, Ralph Vartabedian and Julie Cart in Los Angeles Times

The power generated by the mega-plants will be among the most expensive renewable energy in the country. ...Stanford University economist Frank Wolak said the state's renewable energy strategy could boost electricity rates 10% to 20%, depending on a number of factors. Potentially, consumers' bills could go up by 50%. "It is easily in the billions of dollars," he said.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| California]

Federal spending on clean energy falls short on jobs, but wind and solar advance
August 13, 2012 by Renee Schoof in McClatchy Newspapers

On jobs, the promise fell short. The White House said its clean-energy stimulus funds created 224,500 jobs. An independent study this year concluded that 70,000 jobs were added to clean technology industries from 2007 to 2010. That study was done by the Brookings Institution, the Breakthrough Institute and the World Resources Institute.

Clean energy bill may boost prices after 2025, EIA says
May 2, 2012 by Justin Doom in Bloomberg News

The Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 would increase power prices by about 4 percent in 2025 ...the agency said today in a statement on its website. That gap may increase to as much as 18 percent by 2035 as utilities seek to reduce carbon emissions by shifting their mix of power plants away from coal in favor of natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy.

Analysis: Obama's "green jobs" have been slow to sprout
April 13, 2012 by Andy Sullivan in Reuters

Gains in the sector don't necessarily lead to wider employment. The wind industry, for example, has shed 10,000 jobs since 2009 even as the energy capacity of wind farms has nearly doubled, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry has added 75,000 jobs since Obama took office, according to Labor Department statistics.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Property value losses near wind turbines greater than previously thought, appraisers say
March 30, 2012 by Billie Jo Jannen in East County Magazine

The current study, released in July of 2011 by the Economic Financial Studies School of Business at Clarkson University, cites losses of up to 40 percent on properties located within 0.10 miles of new wind turbine facilities. This has prompted him to revise his loss figure upward to a maximum of 40 percent and expected adverse impacts out to three miles, with effects becoming less extreme with distance.

Also filed under [ Property Values| California]

Wind-power companies lose luster with investors
March 6, 2012 by Ari Levy in San Francisco Chronicle

U.S. investments in turbine farms and wind-energy businesses tumbled 38 percent last year to $9.7 billion, according to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Venture capitalists have practically left the sector altogether. They invested only $177.6 million in wind startups last year, down 71 percent from the year before.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Cost of $10 Billion Stimulus Easier to Tally Than New Jobs
February 24, 2012 by Ianthe Jeanne Dugan and Justin Scheck in Wall Street Journal

Iberdrola Renewables Inc., the U.S. arm of a Spanish energy giant, received more than $1.5 billion for its wind and solar projects. In January, it laid off 50 people, leaving about 850 U.S. employees, according to spokeswoman Jan Johnson. The company takes credit for creating more than 15,000 jobs ..."How dare they claim they created those jobs," said Dick Messbarger, executive director of the nearby Kingsville Economic Development Council. "Their existence is almost invisible."

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Behind Iberdrola's Portland layoffs: expiring wind-energy tax credits, declining demand, overloaded grid, cheap natural gas
January 25, 2012 by Richard Read in The Oregonian

"Iberdrola Renewables is focusing on operations in 2012 rather than new building due to low energy prices, a poor economy and regulatory uncertainty," Johnson said, adding that the company has a "solid balance sheet, positive cash flow and no real debt."

Also filed under [ Energy Policy| Oregon]

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