Sans Virginia, 24 Other Governors Ask Obama to Focus on Wind Energy

( – promoted by lowkell)

Cross-posted at Article XI.

The Governors Wind Energy Coalition, a bipartisan group of 24 governors, last month sent a letter to President Obama urging him to remove the barriers to wind energy development and focus on a specific series of steps to foster the wind industry and its vast economic development potential. Virginia, a state that stands to gain the creation of over 10,000 jobs with full build-out of offshore wind, is not a member of the Governors Wind Energy Coalition and thus was not a signatory to this letter.  Ironic too that this Coalition is based in Arlington, Virginia.

The July 28 letter (click here to view) calls for a seven-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to provide stable, low tax rates for wind-generated electricity.  Writes coalition chair Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I-RI), and vice chair Gov. Terry Branstad (R-IA):

“Although tax credits for wind energy have long enjoyed bipartisan support, they are scheduled to expire next year. Wind-related manufacturing will slow if the credits are not extended, and some of the tax credits’ benefit will be lost if Congress pursues a last-minute extension. It is important to have consistency in policy to support the continued development of wind manufacturing in the United States. Extending the production tax credit and the investment tax credit, without a gap, is critical to the health of wind manufacturing in our nation. The wind manufacturing industry in the U.S. would benefit even greater if the extension of these credits would be for at least seven years.”

Gov. McDonnell’s lack of membership in this important coalition illustrates his warped priorities that keep Virginia married to 19th century energy technologies. His “all of the above” agenda that has offshore drilling and building new coal plants on top of the priority list and renewable energy development cooling on the back burner will cost Virginia. The jobs and investment will go to other states, very likely those states signing this letter.    

We need to therefore shift our primary focus for offshore wind development to Dominion Virginia Power.  If it’s going to happen in Virginia, it’ll be because Dominion opted to let it happen. We need to say as Tim Gunn would on Project Runway… “Make it Work, Dominion”.  Click here to sign our petition to Dominion.