USA - AWEA letter to its members

AWEA Members,

The economic stimulus package signed into law a month ago represents an extraordinary opportunity for our industry. In the 30 years I’ve worked in the energy field, I’ve never seen a bill that includes the kinds of supportive provisions that are contained in the stimulus package.

AWEA has summarized the provisions of this law, which is formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and this information is now available on our [http://www.awea.org/legislative/american_recovery_reinvestment_act.html]
web site.

Among the beneficial provisions are:
• a Treasury Department grant program for renewable energy developers, • a long-term extension of the wind energy production tax credit, • an Energy Department loan guarantee program for developers and manufacturers, • an expansion of Energy Department research, development and deployment funding, and • a tax credit for advanced energy manufacturers.

AWEA can now offer you a detailed
[http://www.awea.org/legislative/pdf/ARRA_Provisions_of_Interest_to_Wind_Ene
rgy_Industry.pdf] summary document that explains each provision included in the law.

The Treasury and Energy departments are actively pursuing implementation of these programs and AWEA will continue to update the web site with information about government agency progress as it becomes available. Soon after the agencies have established procedures on how to apply for the new programs, AWEA will host webinars to provide guidance on how you can put these programs to use.

In the meantime, you can monitor the federal agencies’ progress through several government web sites:
- Comprehensive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
Information: [http://www.recovery.gov] www.recovery.gov

- Energy Department Information Related to ARRA:
[http://www.energy.gov/recovery/] www.energy.gov/recovery/

- Treasury Department Information Related to ARRA:
[http://www.treasury.gov/recovery/] www.treasury.gov/recovery/ We look forward to contacting you about future progress.

Sincerely,

Denise Bode
Chief Executive Officer
American Wind Energy Association

______________________________
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION
1501 M Street NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 383-2500
Fax: (202) 383-2505
Web: [http://www.awea.org/] www.awea.org