|
newsroom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 17, 2008 |
Contact:
Julie Clendenin (301) 648-0362
Laura Stevens (202) 862-4372 |
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION COMMENT ON
PRESIDENT BUSH'S CLIMATE CHANGE STATEMENT:
The American Wind Energy Association today released the following comment from Executive Director Randall Swisher concerning the President’s statement on climate change:
“The American Wind Energy Association welcomes President Bush’s attention to the climate issue. We urge that the emphasis on emerging technologies be augmented with a focus on options available today for producing pollution-free electricity.
“Wind power is readily available, affordable and abundant. Last year wind energy, which has been growing dramatically, provided 30 percent of the nation’s new electric generating capacity. With stable government support, wind power will play a critical role in the climate change solution. The President in 2006 described a future with wind energy providing 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, allowing us to reduce emissions from the electric power sector even as we meet increasing electricity demand.
“One pivotally important first step is for the President to work with bipartisan supporters in Congress to immediately extend the renewable energy tax credits that expire at the end of this year. The delay in extending current clean energy tax incentives is already discouraging investment decisions today for projects that will be completed in 2009 or later. If these incentives are not extended by Memorial Day, we expect a major contraction in the clean energy industry that would be ill-timed given the urgency of the global warming problem.”*
*According to a recent study by Navigant Consulting, failure to promptly extend renewable energy tax incentives places 116,000 jobs in the wind and solar industries and more than $19 billion in clean energy investment at risk.
Reporters interested in learning more about the wind power industry are invited to attend a breakfast with CEOs of leading wind turbine manufacturers at 9am on Monday, April 21, 2008 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Click here for more information.
AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association’s
membership includes global leaders in wind power development, wind turbine manufacturing, and
energy, as well as a broad range of component and service suppliers. More information on wind
energy
is available at the AWEA web site: www.awea.org.
# # #
|
