Although a one-year extension of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) is included in a tax-extenders bill that has already been passed by the Senate Finance Committee, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Energy & Environment Task Force have officially endorsed a separate bill that would extend the PTC for four years.
The bipartisan bill, introduced last year by Reps. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would renew the PTC for wind, biomass, geothermal, small irrigation, landfill gas, trash and hydropower through 2016.
In addition to Blumenauer and Reichert, the bill is backed by CPC Energy & Environment Task Force members Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Jim Moran, D-Va.; Pete Stark, D-Calif.; John Tierney, D-Mass.; and Peter Welch, D-Vt.
Despite the support, industry analysts have said that, without being attached to a larger bill, the legislation does not have much chance of winning over House Republicans, especially if there is no indication that the incentive would eventually be phased out.
