Domestic Fuel

“It is clear that Congress must pass a strong federal renewable electricity standard so that investors, developers and state policy makers are working together to achieve a common goal,” said Iowa Governor Chet Culver today during a press call to release the findings of a new wind energy report: Great Expectations: U.S. Wind Energy Development, the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition’s 2010 Recommendations. This comprehensive report is the first ever to be submitted to Congress by a national group of governors, and today representatives of the organization including Governor Culver and Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri met with President Obama, Senator Reed, Speaker Pelosi and the minority leadership in both the House and Senate to present their findings.

Governor Carcieri noted that Congressional action on the energy bill appears to have stalled and he hoped that these bipartisan recommendations will advance the energy deliberations currently underway. He stressed, “In order to achieve energy independence in the United States, we must increase the role of wind. Why is that? Wind energy is clean, it’s cost effective and it’s abundant.”

While the main recommendations were centered around passing a Renewable Electricity Standard, developing a new interstate electric transmission system infrastructure and reducing the time it takes to permit both offshore and on-shore wind projects, there were several other recommendations of note:

• • Fully Support Coastal, Deep Water, and Offshore Wind Energy Technology and Transmission Research and Development
• • Expand the U.S. Department of Energy’s Work with the States and the Wind Industry to Accelerate Innovation
• • Extend the Treasury Department Grant Program in Lieu of the Investment Tax Credit, and Adopt a Long-Term Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit With Provisions to Broaden the Pool of Eligible Investors

Both governors highlighted the importance of creating green collar jobs through the increase of wind power. A national 25 percent renewable electricity standard by 2025 could create more than 300,000 new green collar jobs.

Governor Culver also put out a call to action to keep the wind manufacturing here in the States. “If Congress fails to pass a strong national goal on renewable energy and transmission upgrades, the continued uncertainty will cause the nation to potentially surrender wind manufacturing to other countries.”

You can click here to download a copy of the full report.