Politics

American Energy Alliance Rallies Opposition to Wind Credit

By Alex Brown and National Journal
Giant wind turbines stand ready to generate electricity at the Trent Mesa Wind Project, American Electric Power's new 150-megawatt wind farm near Abilene, Texas. The wind farm, the fourth largest in the nation, has 100 turbines, each standing 328 feet tall--taller than a 30-story building. Trent Mesa can generate enough electricity to supply more than 35,000 homes. The wind farm was completed and dedicated today by American Electric Power, the nation's largest generator of electricity. (PRNewsFoto/American Electric Power)   (National Journal)

The wind-production tax credit is set to expire at the end of this year, and the American Energy Alliance is leading a coalition of organizations calling on Congress to let it die.

"The wind industry has very little to show after 20 years of preferential tax treatment; it remains woefully dependent on this federal support," the group said in a statement. "Yet despite this consistent under-performance, Congress has repeatedly voted to extend the PTC.... This year, Congress should break from the past and allow the wind PTC to expire as scheduled, once and for all. Americans deserve energy solutions that can make it on their own in the marketplace — not ones that need to be propped up by government indefinitely."

The statement's signees include plenty of conservative groups: Heritage Action, Club for Growth, and Freedom Works are among those calling for the tax credit to expire. The American Energy Alliance is affiliated with the Institute for Energy Research, a free-market think tank, and is run by Tom Pyle, a former Koch Industries lobbyist.