September 22, 2011
Action alerts, U.S.

Tell the deficit reduction committee to end wind subsidies

National Wind Watch

Go to http://deficitreduction.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact [1] to tell the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to end federal subsidies to industrial wind, which totaled $5 billion in 2010 [2].

Large-scale wind has been shown to cause significant harm to wildlife, people, and the environment. And because of its intermittency and high variability, it does little or nothing to reduce carbon or other emissions.

Here is a list of federal programs that subsidize large-scale wind energy:

  1. Modified accelerated cost-recovery system and bonus depreciation (5-year depreciation of renewable energy technologies; 100% bonus depreciation expiring 31 Dec 2011, 50% bonus depreciation expiring 31 Dec 2012)
    http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US06F [3]

  2. Dept of Treasury renewable energy grants (1603 Program, “Payments for Specified Energy Property in Lieu of Tax Credits”, expiring 31 Dec 2011)
    http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US53F [4]
    http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/recovery/Pages/1603.aspx [5]

  3. Dept of Energy loan guarantee program (for projects that “avoid, reduce or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued”)
    http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US48F [6]
    http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/ [7]

  4. Renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC, expiring for wind 31 Dec 2012) and renewable energy production incentive (REPI, for entities that don’t pay federal corporate taxes, expiring 1 Oct 2016)
    http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US13F [8]
    http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8835.pdf [9]
    http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US33F [10]
    http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/repi/ [11]

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/alerts/2011/09/22/tell-the-deficit-reduction-committee-to-end-wind-subsidies/

URLs in this post:

[1] http://deficitreduction.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact: http://deficitreduction.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

[2] which totaled $5 billion in 2010: http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/direct-federal-financial-interventions-and-subsidies-in-energy-in-fiscal-year-2010/

[3] http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US06F: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US06F

[4] http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US53F: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US53F

[5] http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/recovery/Pages/1603.aspx: http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/recovery/Pages/1603.aspx

[6] http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US48F: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US48F

[7] http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/: http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/

[8] http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US13F: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US13F

[9] http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8835.pdf: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8835.pdf

[10] http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US33F: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US33F

[11] http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/repi/: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/repi/