Earth Equity News

Wyoming Debates Taxing Wind Industry. By Dan Frosch, NYTimes, February 21, 2010."In a place that is both cautious about such growth and interested in the potential benefits, some believe that those behind the wave of wind farms and turbines need to pay their fair share. A new bill being pushed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal would change the state's renewable energy landscape by levying an excise tax on wind energy production, the first tax of its kind in the United States, energy experts say. The proposal, which was approved by the Wyoming House of Representatives on Thursday and is headed to the State Senate for a vote, would impose a $1-per-megawatt-hour tax on wind energy production. Revenue from the tax is projected at a minimum of $4 million annually, to be divided between the counties where the wind projects are located and the state. The tax would go into effect in 2012... Wind energy industry leaders in Wyoming worry that the tax will scare off developers at a critical time in the industry's genesis, particularly when other states are taking the opposite tack and creating incentives to lure wind projects and jobs."