President Obama has released a budget plan for the 2014 fiscal year that increases funding for the development of clean energy. Before you break out the champagne, however, keep in mind that this is just a proposal by the President and must still be approved by Congress. The plan, which was released on April 10, would:… Continue Reading
Denny Wong
Obama Budget Increases Funding for Clean Energy – But Don’t Get Too Excited Yet
Posted in Clean Energy, Department of Energy, Energy Conservation, Legislation, Renewable Energy, Tax, Tax and Tax StimulusSequestration and Renewable Energy Financing
Posted in Clean Energy, Renewable EnergySequestration was not supposed to happen, but it did. We have heard the litany of horrors that will now be visited upon us: longer lines at airport security, the closing of airport runways causing flight delays, shorter operating hours at national parks and so on. Sequestration has resulted in indiscriminate across-the-board spending cuts that affect… Continue Reading
More Tax Stuff – Fiscal Cliff Agreement Winners
Posted in Renewable Energy, TaxThe agreement reached on the first day of the New Year between Democrats and Republicans that averted the country’s fall over the fiscal cliff produced both winners and losers. That agreement (H.R. 8) is now enshrined in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which President Obama signed into law on January 2. Businesses and… Continue Reading
Production Tax Credit for Wind Energy — Is This the End?
Posted in Legislation, Renewable EnergyThe production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy is set to expire. Again! The PTC for wind energy is the only renewable energy source tax credit set to expire at the end of 2012. Wind energy facilities that are not placed in service by the end of the year will not be able to take… Continue Reading
How About Nationalizing the Weather?
Posted in Natural Resources and Environment, Regulatory, Renewable EnergyHere’s a great idea for fixing the Federal budget deficit: Nationalize the weather. (I’m sure you’re now kicking yourself and asking, “Why didn’t I think of that?”) The Federal government can then require that a license first be obtained by those who want to use the sun to sunbathe or the wind to fly a… Continue Reading
Energy Subsidies – Et Tu
Posted in Clean Energy, Legislation, Natural Resources and Environment, Renewable Energy, SolarTremendous progress has been made in the development of renewable energy in recent years. Wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy, as well as biofuels, are providing an ever increasing share of the energy consumed in this county. Moreover, the cost of producing energy from renewable sources has come down rapidly. Yet it remains an inescapable… Continue Reading
Energy Policy Debate Redux
Posted in Legislation, Tax, Tax and Tax StimulusThe Senate has agreed to begin consideration of an energy tax bill (S. 2204) that will serve as the focal point of the debate over our nation’s energy policy. The provisions of the bill clearly highlight the differences in approach favored by Republicans and by Democrats when it comes to dealing with our energy future…. Continue Reading
Energy Provisions in Budget Show President’s Priorities
Posted in Capital and Funding, Energy Conservation, Legislation, Tax and Tax StimulusOn February 13, 2012, President Obama sent Congress a $3.8 trillion budget proposal for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins October 1. The budget proposal contains a number of energy-related provisions, including the following: Tax Credit for Wind Facilities – The U.S. Tax Code currently provides a production tax credit (PTC) for wind facilities. The… Continue Reading
The Top Five Cleantech Stories of 2011, Part III
Posted in Department of Energy, Energy Conservation, Legislation, SolarFinally, we come to the number one cleantech story of 2011. And the honor goes to – drum roll, please – Solyndra. If you did not follow this story in 2011, don’t worry. You will have plenty of opportunities to do so in 2012. Solyndra is a story that will continue to be in the… Continue Reading
Last Chance to Fix Up Your House and Get a Tax Break – Expiring Energy Tax Incentives for Individuals
Posted in Capital and Funding, Energy Conservation, LegislationA number of financial incentives offered by the federal government to encourage the development and adoption of clean energy technologies and practices are set to expire at the end of 2011. We discussed one of the expiring incentives, the Section 1603 cash grant program, in an earlier blog posting. See “Last Chance to Take Advantage… Continue Reading
Last Chance to Take Advantage of Cash Grants for Renewable Energy Projects
Posted in Capital and Funding, Legislation, Renewable EnergyThe Section 1603 cash grant program is coming to an end. If you have not already started construction on your renewable energy project, or you are not about ready to do so, then it is probably too late for you to take advantage of it. This blog posting is just a reminder that actual construction… Continue Reading
Section 1603 Cash Grants – Here Comes the IRS
Posted in Capital and Funding, Tax and Tax StimulusThe spectacular and very public collapse of Solyndra has left both opponents and proponents of the Obama administration’s renewable energy policy wondering about government oversight of energy projects funded with taxpayer dollars. Solyndra, of course, is the solar panel manufacturing company that filed for bankruptcy last month, leaving taxpayers on the hook for a $535… Continue Reading
Alternative Energy – Get Ready For Some Tough Years
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Capital and FundingFinancing of alternative energy projects will likely be challenging in coming years. Many of the government subsidies that have sustained those projects are going away. According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, alternative energy subsidies are expected to fall 77% by 2016 from a record high in 2010. The precipitous decline in… Continue Reading
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY – STAYING THE COURSE?
Posted in Capital and Funding, Renewable EnergyThe recent spectacular and very public failure of Solyndra has some observers questioning the current administration’s clean-energy stimulus program and, more generally, the wisdom of the government picking winners and losers of particular technologies and industries. For those who have not been following the news, Solyndra is a manufacturer of industrial solar panels that filed… Continue Reading
New Federal Investment to Promote the Production of Drop-In Fuels
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Capital and FundingPresident Obama announced on March 16 that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will invest up to $510 million over the next three years in a program to promote the production of biofuels that can be used to meet the country’s military and commercial transportation needs. Each of the government agencies will contribute… Continue Reading
Tax Credit for Ethanol – Beginning of the End?
Posted in Legislation, Tax, Tax and Tax StimulusThe U.S. Senate recently voted in favor of a measure (‘‘Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act”) to end a 45 cents per gallon tax credit for ethanol. The measure would also repeal a 54 cents per gallon tariff on ethanol that is imported. While there was broad support for the measure, which passed with 73… Continue Reading
Funding Cuts for Clean Energy
Posted in Capital and Funding, Legislation, TechnologyPressure to trim the U.S. budget deficit means cuts in funds available to the Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of technologies that can help us achieve our energy efficiency and renewable energy goals and to encourage use of such technologies. The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released information last week on… Continue Reading
Federal Budget Compromise – Mixed Bag for Clean Energy and the Environment
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Legislation, Natural Resources and Environment, Regulatory, TaxFor those who wait until the last minute to prepare and file their income tax returns, this is the week to scramble. As you review the taxes that you owe, the current budget battle that has dominated the news recently may resonate with you. That battle nearly shut down the government last week. But a… Continue Reading
FEDERAL BUDGET BATTLE THREATENS ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
Posted in Capital and Funding, RegulatoryThe Republican-controlled House passed a budget resolution a few day ago that would have a significant impact on U.S. energy and environmental policies and programs if enacted into law. The budget resolution, H.R. 1, makes large cuts to federal funding for programs administered through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy…. Continue Reading
Wood-burning Planes – Jet Fuel from Biomass
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Natural Resources and Environment, Renewable EnergyWashington State hopes to promote the use of wood waste as feedstock for bio-jet fuel. Production of bio-jet fuel from wood waste would marry up two of the state’s most important industries – forest products and aviation. As a step towards that goal, the state Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark, announced at a recent… Continue Reading
One Year Extension Provided For All Clean Energy Tax Breaks
Posted in Renewable Energy, Sustainable Business, Tax and Tax StimulusTax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. In addition, the new law changes the estate and gift tax rules, extends unemployment benefits and reduces the Social Security tax that workers pay. However, the part of the new law that addresses clean energy issues has received far less publicity. Before the new… Continue Reading
Whither Green Energy Subsidies?
Posted in Capital and Funding, Legislation, Tax and Tax StimulusWith midterm elections behind it, Congress has focused its attention on expiring provisions of the tax laws. It has been involved in a pubic debate with the current administration on how to extend Bush-era tax cuts, with much of the discussion centering on who should benefit from extending provisions of the tax laws that provide… Continue Reading
Offshore Wind Power and Ocean Energy – Awards Announced
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Capital and Funding, RegulatoryThe U.S Department of Energy (DOE), together with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced eight joint research awards last week that total $5 million. The awards fund research projects that “support the responsible siting and permitting of offshore… Continue Reading
Offshore Wind Power Report Released
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Capital and FundingThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a 200 plus page report on offshore wind power in the United States. The report, entitled “Large-Scale Offshore Wind Power in the United States: Assessment of Opportunities and Barriers,” was prepared by the DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). A copy is available at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/40745.pdf. The report… Continue Reading