Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition Suggests Administrative Actions to President Obama
WASHINGTON, DC —In a letter to President Obama, the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition has outlined key administrative actions that will advance the nation’s wind energy development and economic potential. The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition is a bipartisan group of governors and provides regional and national leadership on wind energy policy development. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is the current chairman of the coalition, and Governor Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota is vice chairman.
While production and investment tax credits related to the wind energy industry were recently extended, the governors provide several suggested administrative actions within the authority of the President that would further support renewable energy.
“Wind power expansion will continue to increase diversity in our energy supply and does provide—like natural gas—a domestic resource,” the governors write. “We believe these administrative steps will support the further development of the nation’s wind industry.”
The governors provide the following suggested administrative actions:
- Finalize guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department regarding the extension of production tax credits and investment tax credits that affect wind energy development.
- Maintain the current goals and requirements for federal agencies to acquire 7.5 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources. The federal government is one of the largest electricity users in the country.
- Support regional and state transmission planning and implementation in an ongoing effort to enhance transmission system efficiency throughout the nation.
- Continue to accelerate the development process for offshore wind energy projects including a more efficient permitting process that expedites the issuance of multiple leases and approval of site assessment plans.
- Develop a long-term, regional view that encourages power marketing administrations to improve integration with neighboring electricity systems, integrate more renewable energy, build transmission, and partner with private investors on transmission line development.
- Open Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) to include renewable energy investments in order to attract private investment such as that currently allowed for oil, gas, natural gas pipelines and electric power transmission lines.
- Establish federal-state-industry partnerships that focus on new manufacturing processes and materials to build a global competitive advantage for the nation’s wind industry and supply chain.
A copy of the letter to President Obama is available here.