Western governors ask for extension of tax credit for wind energy

?Western governors on Friday called on Congress to extend the wind-power tax credit rather than let it expire at the end of December.

In a letter to the U.S. House and Senate leaders, Western governors said that extending the credit now is critical to achieving the country's clean energy goals, building the nation's manufacturing base, creating jobs, lowering energy costs and strengthening security.

The governors, including Colorado's John Hickenlooper, noted that in 2011 alone, the wind industry provided more than 30,000 manufacturing, construction and other jobs in western states.

In addition, this investment yields annual economic benefits to the West's rural economies of more than $230 million in county property taxes and more than $90 million in lease payments to landowners, the governors said.

Hickenlooper and the governors of Kansas, Iowa and Oregon last month sent a similar letter to congressional leaders.

The credit is equal to 2.2 cents for every kilowatt-hour a wind farm produces. It is a key factor in the financing of such facilities.

The tax credit costs the federal government about $1 billion a year.

Some Republican lawmakers don't want to extend it without an offset elsewhere in the budget, and some are opposed to extending tax breaks to energy sources they say aren't competitive.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or twitter.com/howardpankratz

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-business/~3/ECX65JbD6jY/western-governors-ask-extension-tax-credit-wind-energy

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