WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2008 (ENS) – The Washington state Congressional delegation has introduced legislation in the House and the Senate that would be a new source of grant funding for water quality and stormwater discharge projects in the Puget Sound area of northwest Washington.

Congressman Norm Dicks and Senator Maria Cantwell introduced the Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2008 on Wednesday, which will establish a distinct office within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate the expanded efforts to address pollution impacts on Puget Sound.

“As the nation’s second largest estuary, Puget Sound has a regional impact affecting four million area residents and sustaining a broad array of aquatic species,” said Dicks, who serves as the chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.

In that post, Dicks has spearheaded a new effort in recent years to increase the funding for research and remedial actions around Puget Sound, in coordination with the Washington state’s newly formed Puget Sound Partnership, a community effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses to restore and protect Puget Sound.

Puget Sound as seen from the
Seattle Space Needle (Photo
courtesy Wikipedia)

The Puget Sound Region is centered on Seattle and Tacoma and consists of nine counties, four satellite cities, and two major ports.

The Puget Sound Recovery Act, H.R. 6364, would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound.

The bill would establish a Puget Sound office within the EPA that would have oversight responsibility for the cleanup actions on the Sound, including the development of a comprehensive action plan. The bill also authorizes grants to local communities to study the causes of water quality problems.

In addition, it authorizes grants for targeted remedial actions to counter these threats, as well as grants for sewer and stormwater discharge projects.

“Puget Sound is one of the most important waterways in the United States and is critical for the health of Washington’s economy and environment,” said Senator Cantwell. “However, the declining health of the Sound is putting this at risk.”

“By taking this step to help protect Puget Sound, we are helping the four million Americans who benefit from recreational and environmental opportunities, supporting $20 billion in economic activity annually,” the senator said.

Building upon Puget Sound cleanup efforts already underway at the local and state levels, the increased federal response authorized by the Puget Sound Recovery Act will be a model of scientific integrity, coordination between federal, state, local and tribal governments, and demonstrable achievement that is transparent and open to public scrutiny.

Area congressional representatives from the Puget Sound region – Representatives Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Brian Baird, Jim McDermott, Dave Reichert, and Adam Smith – all have joined as original co-sponsors of the legislation in the House.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Senator Patty Murray of Washington has co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill.

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WASHINGTON, DC, January 31, 2008 (ENS) – Overturning all previous records, the U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 megawatts of power in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45 percent in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, according to the American Wind Energy Association, AWEA.

The new wind projects account for about 30 percent of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually.

“This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth, establishing wind power as one of the largest sources of new electricity supply for the country,” said Randall Swisher, executive director of the AWEA, which represents more than 1,200 member companies.

“This remarkable and accelerating growth is driven by strong demand, favorable economics, and a period of welcome relief from the on-again, off-again, boom-and-bust, cycle of the federal production tax credit for wind power,” he said.

But, Swisher warns, the production tax credit and tax incentives for other renewable energy sources could lapse at the end of 2008, and the association is urging Congress and the president to extend the production tax credit in order to sustain this remarkable growth along with the manufacturing jobs, fresh economic opportunities, and reduction of global warming pollution that it provides.”

The Senate Finance Committee Wednesday included an extension of the expiring tax credits for wind, solar, and other renewable energy technologies as part of its economic stimulus package now working its way through Congress.

The Finance Committee approved an amendment by Senator Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, to provide for a one-year extension of expiring clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits.

“Today, the Finance Committee took real steps to not only give consumers the immediate financial relief they need, but also to address the underlying reasons for the weakness in our economy by including clean energy tax incentives in the stimulus package,” said Cantwell.

“These incentives fit the very definition of stimulus – they are targeted and timely and will lead to tens of billions of dollars in investment and more than a 100 thousand new jobs in 2008,” she said. “Only by accelerating our investment in clean sources of energy and energy-saving technologies can we get people and businesses real relief from crushing energy costs.”

Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican and ranking member of the Committee on Finance, said, “Renewable energy production depends on investment. Investors need certainty. They won’t put their money out for a wind energy facility unless there’s a reasonable expectation that tax incentives will continue into the future.”

“Production has to meet demand and alternative energy has never been in such demand as it is right now,” Grassley said. “The high price of oil helped to start the economic downturn. The stimulus package should underscore the nation’s commitment to energy efficiency and alternative energy.”

Both senators represent states among the top five wind power producers in the country.

Clipper Windpower of Carpinteria,
California, opened a new wind
turbine manufacturing facility in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2007.

Texas has the most installed wind generating capacity, with California in second place and Minnesota in third, with Iowa close behind. Washington rounds out the list of top five states.

GE Energy continued to lead in wind turbine sales, with 45 percent of the market in terms of new capacity installed.

FPL Energy remained atop the list of wind project developers, with 956 megawatts of new development in 2007 alone.

The U.S. wind power fleet now numbers 16,818 megawatts across 34 states, according to the latest AWEA data, released in a year end market report.

American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours of wind energy in 2008, just over one percent of U.S. electricity supply, powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.

Swisher says that by reducing the need for other fuels used for electricity generation, lowering the pressure on their price, wind can save consumers money, even in regions with low or no wind resources.

Wind power’s strong performance is expected to continue this year. AWEA estimates that 2008 could equal 2007 in new wind capacity installed.

Developers report that with strong demand for wind power across the country, wind turbines are sold out for the year. Still, AWEA projects that with more companies entering the market, more turbines will become available.

“The pace of growth in 2008 and beyond is expected to largely depend, not on turbine availability, but on the timing and duration of an extension of the federal production tax credit,” the association said.

Wind power reduces global warming emissions, and wind farms help conserve water as they do not require water for steam or for cooling as other forms of power generation do.

The full AWEA annual report is online at: www.awea.org and a state-by-state listing of existing and proposed wind energy projects is online at www.awea.org

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