A bipartisan wind energy amendment (S.Amdt. 4200) offered by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. and John Thune, R-S.D., was added to the Senate budget resolution. The amendment provides the authority within the budget for Congress to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for up to five years.
‘South Dakota continues to lead the country in wind potential and yet lags behind its neighbors when it comes to energy generated from that wind,’ says Thune. ‘The wind energy industry is poised to grow, but an extension of the PTC is needed to avoid the boom and bust cycles.’
Thune is also the primary sponsor of the Wind Energy Development Act of 2007, which would extend the current PTC through 2012. The existing PTC incentive of 0.02 cents per kWh is scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
