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South Texas wind farm developers cautious as tax credit expires
September 30, 2012 by Mark Collette in Corpus Christi Caller

Expiration of the credit would have a significant impact on development of about 80 turbines near Petronila in Nueces County, said Patrick Woodson, chief operating officer for Germany-based E.On Climate & Renewables in North America. The company wants to build in 2013.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA| Texas]

Board asks state to adopt law to protect military installations
September 27, 2012 by Robyn Wade in Goldsboro Daily News

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners are asking state legislators to pass a law blocking all encroachment or impairments to military training routes without state approval.

Also filed under [ General| North Carolina]

New York procurement delay frustrates wind energy developers
September 26, 2012 by Mark Del Franco in North American Windpower

"We are continuing to explore approaches to minimize risks to New York," says NYSERDA spokesperson Alan Wechsler. "The possible expiration of the federal production tax credit - a major revenue source for wind developers - and other market development trends led to a more complicated procurement situation, and approval and issuance are taking longer than we originally projected."

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| New York]

Conservatives urge House Speaker to nix wind tax credit
September 24, 2012 in Reuters

Forty-seven Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing Speaker John Boehner to eliminate the wind production tax credit, a tax break that has split Republicans and drawn criticism from presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

Wind power hits the doldrums
September 24, 2012 by George Hohmann in Charleston Daily Mail

New wind energy projects stalled when financing dried up during the Great Recession. Now new projects have hit turbulence because an important federal tax credit is set to expire.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA| West Virginia]

Fury over wind farm tax break calls
September 24, 2012 in The Southern Reporter

"Giving tax breaks to wind farm companies is a horrifying idea. These firms are already raking in massive subsidies, which end up on everyone's electricity bills. "Wind farm developers are already piling into places like the Borders," said Professor Ponton, who has worked in the renewable energy field since the 1970s.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| UK]

PPL Montana officials discuss potential shutdown of Corette plant
September 22, 2012 by Tom Howard in Billings Gazette

After PPL Montana announced a plan to mothball its J.E. Corette power plant in Billings, likely eliminating 35 jobs and dealing a blow to the local economy, some blamed federally subsidized wind power as the culprit. ..."The wind was brought in to create jobs and to clear carbon emissions, but they've done neither," Winger said. "We're subsidizing a type of industry that can't make it on its own and replacing jobs with unsustainable work."

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Energy Policy| USA| Montana]

GE awaits Congressional action on wind energy tax credits
September 22, 2012 by Richard Lee in Stamford Advocate

A proposal to renew a federal tax credit aimed at encouraging "green power" development is hung up in Congress, possibly jeopardizing growth of the business and the players in the U.S. wind energy industry, including Fairfield-based General Electric Co., experts said.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

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 [ Impact on Economy| Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA| California]

Wind energy expansion in the tri-states is uncertain
September 21, 2012 by Andy Devine in WGEM TV

Ellison said the future expansion of wind energy all over the country depends on politicians in Washington, which he says makes it a risky business venture. "You wouldn't put your money into something whose survival ability is contingent upon the government passing year to year tax credits," said Ellison.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Illinois]

Unusual coalitions clash over wind energy tax credit
September 21, 2012 by Juliet Eilperin in Washington Post

The battle over the wind production tax credit - which can cut the cost of developing a wind project by nearly a third - centers on a single question: Is the wind industry mature enough to survive without the tax break it first received 20 years ago, or does it need a lifeline for a bit longer?

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

House Republican freshmen urge action on extenders
September 21, 2012 by Lauren French and Steven Sloan in The Politico

No action is likely before the election, however, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), told reporters Wednesday he wants to address the expiring Bush-era tax rates before considering what to do with the extenders package. Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio), a senior Ways and Means member, is leading the House effort to decide which provisions in the extenders package should be continued.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

Tax credit in doubt, wind power industry is withering
September 20, 2012 by Diane Cardwell in New York Times

The industry's precariousness was apparent a few weeks ago at the Gamesa factory, as a crew loaded the guts of the company's new component, a device known as a nacelle, into its fiberglass shell. Only 50 completed nacelles awaited pickup in a yard once filled with three times as many, most of the production line stood idle, and shelves rated to hold 7,270 pounds of parts and equipment lay bare.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

Exelon defends PTC position; Wind group defends expulsion
September 19, 2012 by Wayne Barber in Energy Biz

The PTC "has fulfilled its purpose by getting started the wind industry," Exelon Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Bill Von Hoene told the Maryland Clean Energy Summit near Baltimore. Von Hoene said that wind power generation will continue to grow even without the PTC.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

County considers options on wind turbine tax issue
September 18, 2012 by Nich Wolak in Huron Daily Tribune

"My understanding is that if they're going to change a depreciation schedule, there's at least some type of study going on," Osentoski said. "... That wasn't done to the best of our understanding. We FOIA'd the state tax commission, and their response was it was just ‘common sense.'"

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Michigan]

Wyoming officials plan to fight wind farm appraisal
September 18, 2012 by Kyle Roerink in Casper Star-Tribune

The Converse County Commission filed an application with the Wyoming State Board of Equalization requesting the board allow Converse County to intervene in Duke Energy's appeal of 2012 taxes due on its wind farm.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Wyoming]

Hope dim for wind tax credits
September 16, 2012 by David Pitt in Associated Press

There is little hope Congress will act quickly to extend a federal energy tax credit for building wind turbines, despite the likelihood that letting the program expire could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

County will fight for wind turbine tax values
September 15, 2012 by Nich Wolak in Huron Daily Tribune

The resolution, which passed 6-1, is expected to be signed by wind turbine-heavy Sanilac, Gratiot, Mason and Tuscola counties, formalizing what would be known as the Michigan Renewable Energy Collaborative. The counties want to assess wind turbines at a value higher than what the state tax commission recommended last fall.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Michigan]

An argument over wind
September 14, 2012 by Matthew L. Wald in New York Times

But Exelon says the tax credit is distorting energy markets because the credit itself is larger than the average value of electricity produced in the Midwest. Surges of wind energy late at night during periods of low electricity demand are driving the market price of electricity below zero, according to independent statistics.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| USA]

Air Force: Proposed Pantego wind farm would force relocation of flight training to other states
September 14, 2012 by John Murawski in News Observer

Military officials warned this week that building the proposed Pantego Wind project in eastern North Carolina would create an unavoidable collision hazard for fighter jets, a development that would force Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to deploy flight training to other states.

Also filed under [ Safety| North Carolina]

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