 The study demonstrates the economic growth that wind energy brings
to Illinois communities and is another reason for the state's
congressional delegation to support an immediate extension of the
wind energy production tax credit, or PTC."Strong clean-energy
policy combined with the PTC has helped fuel the growth of more than
10,000 megawatts of wind power in the Midwest ISO in the last
decade. We would like to see that continue to grow and provide the
economic benefit described in this report to the entire nation,"
said Beth Soholt, executive director of Wind on the Wires.
"It's important that decision-makers are educated about the
significant economic development wind energy brings to state and
local communities so that informed decisions regarding future
adoption of wind energy projects can be made," said Dr. David
Loomis, director of Illinois State's Center for Renewable Energy.
Among the key results, the study
finds that the 3,334 megawatts of installed wind generation in
Illinois:
-
Will generate a
total economic benefit of $5.98 billion over the 25-year
lifespan of the projects.
-
Provides $28.5
million in annual property taxes.
-
Generates $13.05
million in annual lease payments to landowners.
-
Created
approximately 19,047 full-time equivalent jobs during
construction.
-
Supports approximately 814 permanent
jobs in rural Illinois, with annual payrolls over $48 million.
Planned wind farm projects statewide would mean an additional
12,700 jobs and millions more to local economies through payments to
landowners and property tax revenue. But, those projects are on hold
because of uncertainty about the extension of a federal tax break
for wind energy developers. The tax break is slated to expire at the
end of this year.
The Sierra Club's Illinois chapter celebrated the study, saying
it proves that wind energy is a viable economic engine for Illinois
communities, while also providing environmental benefit to the
state.
"Congress can protect Illinois jobs and public health by
supporting the PTC and helping the country transition to clean
energy. We need all the members of Illinois' congressional
delegation to support the PTC and do their part to keep Illinois'
clean-energy economy growing," said Jack Darin, director of the
Illinois Sierra Club.
Labor groups similarly cheered the news, reiterating the fact
that wind energy has become a major source of construction jobs for
rural Illinois in recent years.
"Wind energy is critical to economic recovery. For laborers, wind
farms have meant jobs a worker can be proud of, and they provide
family-sustaining wages. Laborers are proud to not only be building
these wind towers but building a sustainable future for our nation,"
said Michael Matejka, governmental affairs director for the Great
Plains Laborers District Council.
In fact, Illinois is a national leader in wind turbine
manufacturing as well, boasting 28 manufacturing facilities that
make components for the wind industry. Failure to pass the wind
energy production tax credit puts these important manufacturing jobs
on the line.
[to top of second column] |
A representative of the American Wind Energy Association agreed,
saying this study brings the impact of wind energy home for Illinois
lawmakers.
"This report again shows Illinois representatives and senators
why the PTC is vital for Illinois and the nation," said Larry
Flowers of AWEA. "We call on Congress to pass the PTC now to prevent
the catastrophic job losses that will come with a lapse in this
successful policy."
The wind energy production tax credit has seen strong bipartisan
support for several years, Flowers added, saying that Congress
should put aside their differences and pass this policy mechanism as
soon as possible.
The tax credit provides 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of generated
electricity for wind developers, which translates to lower delivered
cost of the resource. Since the tax credit was enacted seven years
ago, wind power capacity has increased by 47,000 megawatts, a
sevenfold increase.
The production tax credit for wind has been in place since 2005
and has led to 47 gigawatts of new wind capacity, equal to about 94
coal plants, spurring nearly $70 billion in private investment,
according to AWEA.
Largely owing to the tax credit, wind energy accounted for 35
percent of new electrical generation capacity installed in the past
four years and now supplies 20 percent of electricity needs in
states such as Iowa and South Dakota. The wind energy industry
supplies close to 3 percent of electricity nationwide and is on
track to generate 20 percent of all of America's electricity by the
year 2030, as projected by the George W. Bush administration.
The new research is the latest update to an economic impact
analysis the Center for Renewable Energy has performed annually
since 2009, and was released at a news conference Tuesday morning at
the sixth annual "Advancing Wind Energy in Illinois" Conference in
Normal.
___
Wind on the Wires is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in
St. Paul, Minn. The organization is comprised of wind developers,
environmental organizations, tribal representatives, public interest
groups, clean-energy advocates, farm groups and businesses providing
goods and services to the wind industry. The mission of Wind on the
Wires is to overcome the barriers to bringing wind energy to market
by addressing technical and regulatory issues, as well as through
education and public outreach.
[Text from
news release received
from Wind on the Wires] |
