Wind Energy: Homegrown Power Needs Your Help

09/17/2012 10:11 am 10:11:02 | Updated Nov 17, 2012


I used to love to watch my kids fly kites. We'd hike to an expansive, open field, and with boundless energy, the kids would run around pulling on kite strings, releasing with just the right amount of pressure to catch the wind. It was a powerful, heady experience, as they sent their kites soaring up into the clear blue sky.

Our country possesses that power... Wind Energy.

Why is wind energy so important for our children's future?

Wind is free.
Wind is clean.
Wind is renewable.
Wind is non-polluting.
Wind doesn't harm children's health.
But most importantly, wind energy works.

Can wind energy save us from perpetuating the perils of coal, oil and gas?

Two new NRDC studies (here and here) emphatically say, YES! These reports show us the benefits of wind energy on our economy, workers health and communities. The reports exemplify why we must promote strong energy policies, like extending the Production Tax Credit (PTC).

What is the Production Tax Credit (PTC)?

The PTC provides tax credits to wind projects for generating clean, renewable power.

What has the PTC done for the U.S. so far?

The PTC has been valuable in growing a wind power industry that provides 75,000 jobs. The PTC is responsible for 33 percent of all new energy generation since 2007. That's more than coal or nuclear energy combined!

What's standing in the way of clean, renewable wind power?

The PTC tax credit is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

What can we do to keep the PTC?

"Passing an extension of the PTC and preserving and bolstering other successful federal and state policies would help American communities in all sorts of ways, from keeping and creating local jobs, to cleaning up local air and water, to increasing government revenues that can be reinvested in schools and roads, to growing local industries that can benefit the entire area."NRDC

So, what's the issue?

According to EDF, the PTC and the tax extender package are not guaranteed to pass either the House or Senate.

What can we do to help?

Please contact your member of Congress and ask for their support of the Production Tax Credit and the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act.

Watching my kids harness the homegrown power of the wind left me with the strong feeling that we can control our energy destiny. Our children deserve to soar like the wind! Are we going to let politics stand in their way?

Photo: Shutterstock