A coalition of seemingly strange bedfellows that includes Dow Chemical Company and the Sierra Club has signed a letter delivered to congressional leaders today appealing to Congress to extend a tax credit on wind energy production.

Several Kansas wind producers, including TradeWind Energy in Lenexa and Horizon Wind Energy in Overland Park, joined the effort to convince Congress to vote on the extension.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who also has been urging members of the Kansas congressional delegation to approve the tax credit extension, was not among the signers, however.

In all, more than 700 companies and organizations signed the appeal, which was written and delivered by the American Wind Energy Association.

“We need immediate action.  If Congress fails to complete this effort, it will be a serious blow to the future of renewable energy in America.” said Gregory Wetstone, senior director for legislative and public affairs at the American Wind Energy Association.

The letter warns that failure to extend the tax credit would lead to the loss of “hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in clean energy investment, crucial incentives for research and development and a range of popular programs. We respectfully urge that Congress not leave for the election recess until a final agreement has been reached on the vitally important tax extender package.”

The credit provides a 1.9-cent credit to wind energy producers for every kilowatt-hour produced.

Without the tax production credit, even wind energy producers said it would be difficult to make electricity generation from wind economically viable, since wind is an intermittent resource.

Both Houses of Congress have approved one-year extensions. However, the provisions are contained in separate House and Senate bills that must be reconciled by a conference committee.

Critics maintain that the appeal of wind energy is a deceptive one. "Because wind blows so irregularly, even the best wind farms now generate electricity at only 30 percent of their theoretical capacity," energy expert William Tucker wrote recently in National Review. "That means we will need 1,200 square miles of windmills to equal the output of three or four coal or nuclear plants, each of which occupies only a square mile. Factoring in the land required for mining adds several square miles for coal, and much less for uranium."

Tucker added, "Even then, the electricity generated by windmills is not what the industry calls “dispatchable,” meaning able to be produced and delivered when and where needed."

It’s still unknown whether House and Senate leaders will schedule a conference committee to iron out differences before both chambers adjourn.

-Phil LaCerte

• Previously in Kansas Liberty: Wind energy may mean higher utility bills.
  

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