[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 156 (Sunday, September 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RENEWABLE ENERGY AND JOB CREATION TAX ACT of 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation that 
will extend critical tax credits for renewable energy and for American 
families while not adding to the federal deficit.
  As cochair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I am 
especially pleased to see the House take action on needed tax credits 
for renewable energy. The Production Tax Credit, PTC, in particular has 
been instrumental in promoting the creation of a renewable energy 
industry. An extended PTC will provide more market certainty and we 
must have an extension of this key tax credit before the current credit 
expires at the end of 2008.
  I must add that, while I am pleased that the bill provides a three 
year extension of the PTC for most renewable energy sources, I am 
concerned that it only provides a one-year extension for wind energy. 
Wind is a very promising renewable energy source and a one year 
extension will not be as helpful for the industry. I will continue to 
lead the fight to extend the wind energy PTC for more than one year.
  The bill also extends the Investment Tax Credit, ITC, for solar 
energy, qualified fuel cells, and microturbines for eight years. The 
ITC will help companies with initial investment costs in expanding 
these renewable energy sources across the country.
  Rising gas prices are forcing many Coloradans to dip into their 
savings just to make ends meet. This bill will help families reduce 
their fuel bills by providing $3,000 in tax credits toward the purchase 
of fuel-efficient, plug-in hybrid vehicles. It will also help address 
long-term fuel cost concerns by expanding production of homegrown fuels 
and incentives for the installation of E-85 pumps for consumers to fill 
up flex-fuel vehicles.
  This bill also will support advances in energy efficiency and 
conservation in commercial and residential buildings, as well as energy 
efficient appliances.
  And this bill will also help Colorado businesses stay competitive by 
extending the research and development tax credit for one year. While 
again I would like to see this key tax credit extended for more than 
one year, this is a step in the right direction.
  To help with the hard economic times that Coloradans are facing, this 
bill includes several other key tax credits, including expanding the 
child tax credit for some of our neediest families, allowing teachers 
to take a deduction for purchasing classroom supplies out of their own 
pocket, and providing additional support for families paying for 
college education.
  Although this bill includes several important provisions and I will 
vote for it, I am disappointed that it does not include provisions that 
passed in the Senate and in previous House bills--particularly those 
related to clean renewable energy bonds, CREBS, and the Secure Rural 
Schools program.
  CREBs provide a critical tool for public power providers and electric 
cooperatives to invest in renewable energy. This is a unique tool for 
Colorado's rural coops and municipal utilities and I hope to see us 
address this issue before the session ends. CREBS provisions were in 
the version of the bill originally passed by the House, but in the 
Senate they were revised. My understanding is that is the reason they 
have been omitted entirely from the bill now before us. My hope is that 
further discussions between the House and Senate will resolve this 
impasse.

  The ``Secure Rural Schools'' program, originally authorized in 2000, 
was designed to establish stability to certain annual payments made to 
States and counties containing National Forest System lands and certain 
public domain lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
  Since 1908, 25 percent of Forest Service revenues, such as those from 
timber sales, mineral resources and grazing fees, have been returned to 
the States in which national forest lands are located. Because receipts 
from timber sales have fluctuated over time, the 106th Congress in 2000 
enacted the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, 
Public Law 106-393, to address this instability by providing funding 
for a period of seven years, but requiring reauthorization after that 
time.
  While Colorado is not among the States receiving the largest 
payments, the program has helped some of our rural counties meet urgent 
needs. In fact, last year payments under the program to Colorado 
counties amounted to more than $6.4 million, helping to offset the 
costs of public schools, roads, and other needs of Colorado residents.
  That is why I cosponsored legislation, H.R. 3058, to renew the 
program's authorization, and why I voted for that legislation when the 
House considered it on June 5 of this year. Unfortunately, while 218 of 
us voted for the bill, the final total included 193 against and thus, 
because it was considered under a procedure requiring two-thirds 
approval, the bill did not pass.
  In its version of this legislation the Senate included funding for 
both the Secure Rural Schools program and for the Payment in Lieu of 
Taxes, PILT, program, which makes payments to counties across the 
country where certain categories of Federal lands are located. PILT is 
also very important to Colorado, and I strongly support funding for 
it--and I would have preferred to have both its funding and that for 
the Secure Rural Schools program included in the bill now before us.
  Nonetheless, despite the lack of these provisions, this is a good 
bill. I hope we can move it forward and promote positive change that 
will benefit our families and rural communities, save consumers money, 
reduce air pollution, and increase reliability and energy security.
  I encourage my colleagues in the House to vote for this needed 
legislation, and also encourage quick action in the Senate so that we 
may move it to President's desk.

                          ____________________