USA - The federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) is a policy that makes sense for U.S.

The federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) is a policy that makes sense for U.S. veterans and the American economy, according to Jeff Duff, COO of Airstreams Renewables, a firm that specializes in training veterans for jobs in the renewable energy industries.

In an op-ed in Monday's edition of the Bakersfield (Calif.) Californian, Duff comments, "Veterans seeking good, well-paying jobs can find great opportunities in the clean energy sector--jobs that enable them to continue to help safeguard America's national security ... Our veteran graduates are a great fit with our company, and the renewable energy industry in general, because they have seen the extent to which America's oil habit is directly connected to our national security, and they understand that true security lies in developing alternative energy sources here at home.

"Maximizing the benefits America can realize from clean energy requires driving new renewable energy investments, through tools like the Production Tax Credit. This credit provides businesses like the ones I advise with an incentive for completing new projects, adding to America's pool of renewable energy and creating thousands of jobs in the process. Assuming this policy is allowed to continue, the wind energy sector is expected to create 100,000 jobs over the next four years. But without the Production Tax Credit that kind of growth is likely to slow considerably or even dry up completely."

The PTC provides an income tax credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 10 years of electricity production from utility-scale turbines. It is set to expire on Dec. 31.

A House bill seeking to extend the PTC has 93 cosponsors, including 21 Republicans, while a Senate bill to extend it was introduced March 15 by seven Senators, including three Republicans. PTC extension efforts have received the endorsement of a broad coalition of more than 370 members, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Western Governors’ Association. A PTC extension also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Governors Association, and the bipartisan Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition, which includes 23 Republican and Democratic Governors from across the U.S. A PTC extension has been endorsed by a number of newspapers across the country, including the Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, the Denver Post, and the Daily Oklahoman.

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