Earth Equity News

Wind and Solar Tax Credits Could Ride into Law in Bailout Bill. By Steven Mufson, WashPost, October 2, 2008. "Maybe the tenth time will be a charm. Last night was the tenth time since June 2007 that an extension of wind and solar tax credits have gone to the floor of the Senate. Seven times they have been stuck in bills that have gone to the floor of the House of Representatives. And they're still not law. Solar and wind industry executives hope that the tax credits will finally be adopted as part of the rescue plan for the U.S. financial industry -- though environmentalists are lamenting that the package also includes $894 million of tax breaks for oil refineries using tar sands or coal-to-liquids technology. After the original rescue plan was defeated on Monday, Congressional leaders inserted the energy package into the new financial rescue bill. The energy provisions are identical to those in an energy bill that the Senate approved but the House rejected last week."