Into the Wind - the AWEA Blog

The following op-ed by AWEA CEO Denise Bode appeared yesterday in Politico.

The results of the 2012 elections represent a paradigm shift in U.S. energy policy.

As the 18th-century English diarist Samuel Johnson said, “the prospect of a hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully.” In the energy field, it was the oil shocks of the 1970s that first focused our attention on the peril of banking our future on fossil fuels alone.

Since then, policy makers, industry leaders and consumers have accelerated development of all energy sources, such as wind power, that help reduce our dependence on foreign energy, create new jobs that can’t be outsourced, ...

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Washington, D.C., November 15--Much of the information contained in a recently published paper, "Effects of industrial wind turbine noise on sleep and health" by Michael A. Nissenbaum, Jeffery J. Aramini, and Christopher D. Hanning (all directors/scientific advisors for the Society for Wind Vigilance), was previously reviewed and considered by experts at the first Environmental Review Tribunal (Erikson v. MOE 2011) hearing on wind energy in Ontario and in the Queen's Bench of Saskatchewan case McKinnon v. Martin (Red Lily Legal Case in 2010).

This information was also reviewed by an expert panel on wind turbines and human health commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MassDEP/MDPH, 2012), which ...

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The Red State Renewable Alliance, which describes itself as "an ad-hoc coalition of citizens and companies dedicated to promoting the wind energy industry and its role in cultivating jobs and revitalizing manufacturing," announced its launch yesterday in Washington, D.C.

The Alliance's Executive Director is John Feehery, a well-known Republican strategist and former spokesman for Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Majority Whip Tom DeLay.

In a news release concerning the launch, the group said, "The mission of the Red State Renewable Alliance is simple: to tell the full story of the success of clean renewable wind energy in traditionally conservative areas of the country and emphasize the importance of ...

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Renewable energy technology students to carry on leader’s legacy

The Dalles, Ore., Nov. 14 – A new scholarship for Northwest students will honor regional visionary Paul Woodin, advancing his focus on innovation, education and clean energy solutions. Renewable Northwest Project today announced the establishment of the Paul Woodin Memorial Scholarship Fund with the Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) Foundation. The fund will grant scholarships to students enrolled with the nationally renowned CGCC Renewable Energy Technology program.

Mr. Woodin passed away on March 2, but his legacy as a leading innovator, advocate and renewable energy facilitator is indelible among his community. Mr. Woodin was a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, and a ...

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Recently, opponents of wind power have clamored for audiences to learn everything there is to know about wind--definitely a worthwhile goal. One attack piece, from a fossil-fuel funded group, suggested there are things about wind we’d like to hide. On the contrary—we are happy to help inform readers, and have been doing so for many years.

Here is our current take on several key topics.

Today’s energy issues—including price volatility, the need for homegrown energy to bolster national security, and massive consumption of fresh water by traditional generation sources in an era of water shortages—underscore the need for America to develop a more diversified energy supply portfolio that includes technologies and sources that are available, affordable and abundant. ...

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A bipartisan group of four governors and a U.S. senator yesterday called on Congress to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy, one of a number of tax incentives scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

Gov. Terry Branstad (R-Iowa) joined Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Capitol Hill in Washington for a news conference which Govs. John Kitzhaber (D-Ore.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) joined by conference call.  Mr. Branstad chairs the Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, which includes the governors of 28 states, while Mr. Kitzhaber is vice chair.  Mr. Brownback and Mr. Hickenlooper are members of the Coalition.

The renewable energy leaders expressed optimism that Congress will approve an extension of the PTC during the ...

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Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), leaders of the Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, called today on Congress via letter and news conference to extend the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

In the letter to Congressional leadership, Mr. Branstad and Mr. Kitzhaber urged Congressional leadership  “ … to take swift action to extend the PTC before the end of this congressional session.

“Thousands of jobs in the wind industry have already been impacted by the credit’s looming expiration and thousands more are at risk,” the governors wrote.  “We urge you to take swift action to extend the PTC ...

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Noting that a series of federal incentives led to the remarkable growth of today's shale gas industry, investor Jeff Perkins, in an op-ed in today's Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News, calls for an extension of wind energy's primary incentive, the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC).

Comments Mr. Perkins, "The shale gas revolution didn’t happen overnight or in a vacuum. Since the 1970s, the federal government has offered a combination of tax credits, subsidies and other policies that helped to forge today’s shale industry. In fact, the 'father of shale gas,' George Mitchell, used funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to drill his first horizontal well. My ...

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Falling victim to an Election-Day dynamic that saw a categorical rejection of constitutional amendments by Michigan voters, a ballot initiative to increase the state’s renewable electricity standard did not garner the necessary affirmative votes to become law.
 
While public support of renewables remained strong through Election Day, none of the five proposals to change the state constitution passed. In addition to the renewable energy ballot question, constitutional amendments included those on collective bargaining, home health care, state tax increases and bridge building. One proposed amendment proved a lightning rod of controversy, as it was seen as a ballot initiative backed by a billionaire who wanted to protect his own interests.
 
Meanwhile, Proposal 3, ...

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The Washington Times ran an op-ed recently by Paul Driessen of the misnamed Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a fossil-fuel funded group, commenting on what the re-election of President Obama means for America’s energy future. Mr. Driessen paints a dubious picture of the type of energy policy America needs, wants, and--now with the election results in--voted for.

American voters support progress in wind power production and have now made it clear that they support much more growth of wind power in America. As result, policy makers from both parties who support the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and who were up for re-election are returning to Congress.  This shows the ...

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