USA: Harry Reid Says He Will Work Toward an Extension of Tax Incentives for Geothermal

Nevada’s future depends upon renewable energy (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

by Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, is minority leader of the U.S. Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(Courtesy Wikipedia Commons)

Clean energy development has invested $6 billion in Nevada — creating tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in tax revenue. And imagine the additional billions in clean energy development if Nevada were not held captive by a utility that will stop progress in order to protect its monopoly.

None of these projects happened by accident or in a vacuum. They are a result of smart federal and state policies that encouraged development. These policies include the very tax incentives that the Review-Journal derides. It is a fantasy to say the federal government should not play any role in creating jobs. By scoffing at programs that promote clean energy, this newspaper is literally cheering against Nevada’s future.

Nevada has a choice. We can either take advantage of these new economics and technologies or we can rely on the dirty, outdated energies of the past. I will always choose the former.

That’s why in December, Congress approved a five-year extension of job-creating wind and solar tax credits. That’s why this year I will continue to work toward an extension of tax incentives for geothermal and other smaller energy technologies.

This is not a charade. Nevada’s hard-earned reputation as a clean energy hub is at stake.

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