[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E217-E218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EXTENDING THE PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY WIND POWER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 1999

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing legislation to 
extend the placed in service date for the Production Tax Credit (PTC) 
for wind power for an additional 5 years. The present credit will 
expire on June 30, 1999. Wind equipment installed after that date will 
not qualify for the credit unless we act to extend the PTC now.
  My bill will allow new high technology wind turbines installed during 
an additional five years to qualify for the 1.5 cent per kilowatt-hour 
PTC created under the bi-partisan Energy Policy Act of 1992.
  The wind power industry's potential in the United States is enormous. 
Wind generating costs have fallen 80% over the past decade and further 
efficiencies are achievable. States like the Dakotas, Iowa, Maine, 
Minnesota, Texas and Colorado offer enormous generating potential. 
Americans are developing new wind technologies that will give us a 
competitive edge as this market expands.
  In addition, wind offers one technology we can promote to achieve 
reductions in climate-

[[Page E218]]

changing emissions. The America Wind Energy Association has estimated 
that under an extension of the PTC, working in conjunction with a set 
of policies aimed at further reducing costs, wind energy can achieve 
30,000 megawatts of generating capacity in our country by 2010. Doing 
so would reduce CO2 emissions by up to 100 million metric 
tons, contributing 18% of the reduction that the electric industry must 
achieve to reduce emissions back to 1990 emissions levels while 
producing new jobs. That is a goal we can support.

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