Key Provisions for Renewables Removed from the latest Energy Bill

Renewable Energy Access reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi decided to remove a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and tax-based incentives for the stimulation of renewable energy production in order to pass an energy bill through Congress before Thanksgiving break on Friday, November 16.

Stephen Lacy writes:

Without a long-term extension of the PTC [production tax credit], which expires in December of 2008, [wind power] developers will be unsure about the financial viability of their projects. If the market starts to slow down in the U.S., manufacturers will be unwilling to scale up production or enter the country all together.

There's only one week left before Congress leaves for Thanksgiving recess - renewable energy lobbyists are pushing along at full-steam to support the addition of renewable energy provisions, however at the moment, old dirty energy like coal, oil, biofuels and natural gas will receive continued attention.

There are several emerging technologies that aim to make energy from coal more environmentally viable, and undoubtedly this abundant domestic resource deserves attention as it is not dissapearing anytime soon.