in News Departments > Policy Watch
print the content item

Thirty members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) have sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, encouraging them to act swiftly in issuing guidance to clarify the eligibility qualifications for the wind energy production tax credit (PTC).

After the PTC language was changed to allow projects to qualify for the tax credit if they start construction before Jan. 1, 2014, rather than begin operation before that date, the industry has been awaiting further guidance from the IRS and the Treasury on what it technically means to begin construction.

In their letter, the committee members urged the agencies to act swiftly on the issue.

“Because the PTC has been extended for one year only, it is imperative that you work to clarify the specific criteria that will define the commencement of construction as soon as possible,” they wrote.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., an SEEC member, stressed that the guidance is necessary to provide certainty to the wind energy industry.

"The PTC is important to the wind turbine manufacturers, but also to all the small businesses along the supply chain and the farmers and landowners who want turbines on their property,” Perlmutter says. “Clarifying the rules to ensure the PTC applies to those projects that are ‘commenced construction’ in 2013 will provide the certainty for these businesses to invest in the future and maintain and create thousands of good-paying, private-sector jobs in Colorado and throughout the country.”

The full text of the letter is available here.



Hse SandyHook
Latest Top Stories

Post-FIT Decision, Turbine OEMs Mull Over Options For Ontario Wind Energy Market

Under political pressure, the Ontario government recently pulled the plug on its landmark feed-in tariff (FIT) program for large-scale renewable energy projects, leaving provincial suppliers and manufacturers with an uncertain future.


Continent's First Grid-Connected Offshore Wind Turbine Floats In Maine Waters

Billed as a historic day for offshore wind in North America, researchers flipped the switch on a floating prototype. This marks the first electrons from an offshore wind turbine to flow into the region's grid.


Raising The Discourse: How Wind Industry Can Help Avoid 'Climate Emergency'

Larry Schweiger, the president/CEO at the National Wildlife Federation, says the wind industry is an important ally to combat global warming, which is triggering dangerous and unprecedented weather events around the world.


The Numbers Don't Lie: U.S. Utilities Continue To Embrace Wind Energy

Last year, more than 40% of U.S. utilities reported having wind energy on their systems, proving the fact that utilities continue to integrate wind in growing numbers – and, in some cases, at unprecedented levels.


BOEM To Award Mass., R.I. Offshore Wind Leases; Pre-Qualifies Nine Developers

In July, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will auction nearly 165,000 acres off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts to facilitate offshore wind development.

Upwind Solutions_id1629
Renewable Energy Systems_id1171
SandC Electric_id1674
Power Climber_id1660
Trachte Inc._id484
AWEA_id
JEC Americas_id1707