Community Wind Act Will Move America Toward Clean Energy and New Jobs

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Press Release From National Farmers Union – Contact:  Melisa Augusto, 202-314-3191, maugusto@nfudc.org; Tony Jarboe, 202-314-3104, tjarboe@nfudc.org

Community Wind Act Will Move America Toward Clean Energy and New Jobs

National Farmers Union supports the Community Wind Act, introduced yesterday in the U.S. Senate and co-sponsored by Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Jon Tester, D-Mont. The bill would expand the existing small wind Investment Tax Credit to projects with capacity up to 20 MW. “This bill helps expand community wind, which has been extremely important for rural development,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Community wind projects keep profits local, providing more than three times as much economic benefit and producing 2.6 times as many jobs as wind projects with outside ownership.”

The current wind tax credit is available for community wind projects with a capacity of no more than 100 kW. The Community Wind Act would open those tax credits to all projects with a capacity of less than 20 MW. “Family farmers and ranchers are instrumental in harnessing other sources of renewable energy, such as wind,” said Johnson. “It is critical to ensure that farmers, ranchers, and rural community members have every opportunity possible to take advantage of this tax credit. By providing the proper incentives, we can spur economic development of community wind projects and get America on a path towards energy independence. More than 120 stakeholder organizations support this legislation. We urge members of the Senate to support the Community Wind Act.”

Click here to view PDF of news release

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.