Last week Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley voted in favor of an amendment to extend the Wind Production Tax Credit for five years. Grassley while backing the provision says the credit wasn’t meant to last forever. South Dakota Wind Energy Executive Director Paul Bachman says no one in the industry expects the credit to last forever but says certainty is needed for wind projects.
Bachman says the five year extension would be very helpful for wind projects in states like South Dakota and the Northern Plains region.
The Wind Production Tax credit was first introduced more than 10 years ago. Last November the House offered a multi year extension but the President threatened to veto it so the incentive expired.