American Wind Energy Association: Jobs At Stake If Congress Doesn't Extend Renewable Energy Grants

WASHINGTON — The wind industry urged Congress on Tuesday to extend a cash grant program for production of renewable energy, claiming tens of thousands of jobs are at stake.

Meanwhile, a bird advocacy group, the American Bird Conservancy, cautioned lawmakers to limit grant recipients to those who take steps to protect wildlife – arguing that such protections are needed to prevent avoidable bird fatalities at windmills.

The flurry of lobbying came as Congress took up a tax package that includes President Barack Obama's compromise with Republicans on tax cuts.

The American Wind Energy Association wants the package to include renewal of the cash grant program for development in wind, solar and other renewable energy. The program, created by the federal stimulus law, is set to expire at the end of this month.

The wind group said that tens of thousands of Americans could lose their jobs or not get called back from layoffs unless the program is extended. It joined with trade groups representing the solar, geothermal, biomass and hydropower industries in a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday warning of a renewable energy slowdown.

In its own letter to Senate leaders this week, the bird group urged that any extension of the program include language that requires grant recipients to site projects in a way that minimizes harm to birds; employs the best technology to avoid such harm; and compensates for bird impacts, through new habitat, for example. The group also wants recipients to comply with laws like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

In a statement in response to the bird group's letter, Tom Vinson, the wind group's senior director of federal regulatory affairs, said developers are already required to comply with federal and state regulations when siting projects.

Robert Johns, a spokesman for the bird group, said that the federal government has been reluctant to enforce laws like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so it falls on citizens groups to ensure that the law is being followed.

"Since the industry wants taxpayer money to fund construction of wind turbines, American Bird Conservancy thinks the burden should be on them to assure compliance with the law and not have citizens dig into their own pockets to take legal action forcing compliance," Johns said.

Comments

[KenGirard]

05:26 PM on 12/14/2010

So...most roads are supposed to be maintained by fuel tax money.
What happens when electric cars become a bigger part of the transportation pool, and there is less gas/diesel bought?

[JohnDrake6]

03:59 PM on 12/10/2010

Hats off to the editors for sneaking the terms "Congress" and "Wind Industry" into a headline.

[Kenz300]

11:51 AM on 12/10/2010

Individuals and governments need to support alternative energy.

Wind, solar, geothermal and second generation biofuels all need our support.

We need to diversify our energy types and sources and become less reliant
on foreign oil.

Our economic security and national security depend on our ability to provide
safe, clean alternative energy.

If those that believe PEAK OIL theory are correct and growing demand from China
and India will soon out pace supply, the price of oil will increase for everyone causing
economic damage.

[mozartian]

08:35 AM on 12/10/2010

I feel all of these schemes to replace fossil fuels is misguided. Whether it's wind or coal, the system is still the same. This whole idea of having everything centralized - power transmitted to every home, merchandize produced in giant plants and shipped world wide, is untenable.

Homes and communities should be designed to be self-sufficient and public utility mere backup. We should start with how are homes are built. They should be low-energy construction, use local renewable materials, designed to keep warm or cool without much power, reuse grey water, etc.

No one wants to talk about lifestyle but that's really where everything should start, commute don't drive cars, buy things to last, don't fill our homes with stuff.

[Go2Renz]

05:28 PM on 12/09/2010

wind is great except for the fact it sucks

[Go2Renz]

05:27 PM on 12/09/2010

green is the new black....out

[SecondTime]

01:23 PM on 12/09/2010

It won't be easy to identify them, but I'd guess it would cost our society less in the long run if every windpower worker was given a salary for life on condition that they stopped doing anything to do with windpower. As long as no one was able to take their place, we'd have at least defined the costs of the financial burden which windpower will bring us, protected the income of a good few people, and freed them up to do something more productive with their time.

[Genders]

02:55 PM on 12/09/2010

Your guess? We need electricity, Wind provides it at half the average electric cost now. Wind is the cheapest power for millions of people right now.

[bannorhill]

09:52 PM on 12/10/2010

Not true.

Coal produces power at a cost of about 7.8 cents per KW hour.

Wind in a favorable location costs 9.9 cents per KW hour.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/business/energy-environment/29renew.html?_r=1

[KenGirard]

05:32 PM on 12/09/2010

A three story office building near me has 1 small windmill set up (40' blades, 175'tower). We are in an area that is considered on the fringe for wind power (Need to be about 100-125miles further North to really get major wind). Their electric bill has dropped 60% since they installed it. They think if they cover the roof with solar panels they will hit 90%. If they make the parking lot a covered lot and put solar on that it hits more then 100%, and they will make money from selling the excess to the power company. So...no electric bill, and extra money coming in. Where is the bad in this?

[Margery Kempe]

03:47 PM on 12/10/2010

Because it takes money away from big petrol

[MelloY]

09:03 AM on 12/09/2010

Ahh, the wind power industry has taken the lead from the banking industry. Give us money or people will lose jobs. Nice. If a source of power requires handouts from taxpayers to stay viable then it's not a viable source of power and should be abandoned. There are better ways to get people jobs.

[Genders]

02:55 PM on 12/09/2010

Except it's true. Tiny little difference, you apparently didn't notice....

[John Mainstream]

08:07 AM on 12/09/2010

Just $3 Billion per year in federal tax incentives will lead to 1.5 million American jobs. Over 20 years, wind energy would produce enough electricity to power every home in the United States.

[Jay Guinne]

10:31 AM on 12/09/2010

I am all for it But you still need back up power generation when the wind dies down

[Genders]

12:55 PM on 12/09/2010

Waste Bio char fuels.

[sheila]

12:56 PM on 12/09/2010

how much land will that waste? why not solar in the built environment? far more reliable, sited where it's needed, no vulnerable, expensive transmission, and over 50% of total electrical usage is during the same hours that in-city rooftop solar produces energy. much smarter, cleaner, and cheaper (not to mention it decentralizes and democratizes the grid, creates 3 times as many jobs as Big Wind and creates local economic benefits..).

[KenGirard]

05:37 PM on 12/14/2010

Big wind power stations with solar underneith the windmills means all of the land is used.
But put a windmill on every tall building, cover every parking lot and roof top with solar, and we can make it all better.

[NickGranite]

08:04 AM on 12/09/2010

So is the wind industry saying they are not a viable business without taxpayers money? Save the birds and some tax payer's money and get rid of these wretched propellers.

[Genders]

12:55 PM on 12/09/2010

Wind is not viable if it does not get at least as much subsidies as fossils and nukes, right?

[KenGirard]

05:38 PM on 12/09/2010

Currently we subsidize oil companies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/04bptax.html
"But an examination of the American tax code indicates that oil production is among the most heavily subsidized businesses, with tax breaks available at virtually every stage of the exploration and extraction process."

[bannorhill]

01:29 PM on 12/10/2010

We also add a 25% tax at the pump on gasoline.

[Aneesia]

08:00 AM on 12/09/2010

Oil and gas is more important. Now, if you just put a few more dollars into your lobbying...who know what might happen.

[tooncesrocks]

07:06 AM on 12/09/2010

The current generation of wind turbines in the 1-2 megawatt range spin slowly... the danger to birds is real only for the outdated microscopic turbines that were manufactured and installed 40 years ago!!

Who wants to bet that these bird groups mentioned in the article are funded by oil & natural gas companies

[Marco Time]

01:38 PM on 12/09/2010

I wonder how many more birds are Killed by oil spills over windmills. I read somewhere skyscrapers with mirrored windows and cats are much more lethal to birds.

[Bruce Tabb]

05:00 AM on 12/09/2010

Ugh, I just want to be like "gtfo bird groups" but my inner liberal makes me want to hear them out.

[MelloY]

09:05 AM on 12/09/2010

Shut off that inner liberal and become more centrist. We have bigger problems to worry about than a few birds that wander into the wrong area. All actions have some consequences. Better birds than people.

[sheila]

12:58 PM on 12/09/2010

that "wander into the wrong area?" are you insane? these birds have lived in THEIR habitat for thousands of years, WE are the ones industrializing the wrong areas!!!

rooftop solar doesn't kill anything, is faster cheaper and cleaner than ALL Big Energy (including Big Wind and Big Solar) and can be owned by US, not some conglomerate ripping us off and killing our wilderness...

[Genders]

01:02 PM on 12/09/2010

Centrists always lose to right wing extremists. Obviously. Cats cars and windows kill 100's of million of birds per year. Wind turbines? 1000's birds. "In the United States, cars and trucks wipe out millions of birds each year, while 100 million to 1 billion birds collide with windows. According to the 2001 National Wind Coordinating Committee study, “Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States," these non-wind mortalities compare with 2.19 bird deaths per turbine per year. That's a long way from the sum mortality caused by the other source" http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/common_misconce.php

And how many birds and bats does fossil fuel kill?

[Ralf Klinsmaan]

03:38 AM on 12/09/2010

It seems that Wind Energy installations make n awful and irritating noise and has stroboscopic lights too

[tooncesrocks]

07:08 AM on 12/09/2010

the stroboscopic effect is only observable in 1 scenario:
When the spinning turbine blades are located between you and the sun... as in the blades are casting a shadow on your living room.

It is not hard to plan an installation to avoid this issue entirely.

[OneTop]

12:09 AM on 12/09/2010

T. Boone Pickens will be all over this