Local leaders joined the environmental group PennEnvironment at City Hall Wednesday to highlight the environmental and economic benefits of wind energy and argue for the extension of federal wind power incentives slated to expire this year.
Mayor Chris Doherty and state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, promoted wind energy as part of a diverse state and national energy portfolio, while PennEnvironment director David Masur released a report describing the role wind power plays in Pennsylvania's energy mix.
Pennsylvania produces just less than 2 million megawatt-hours per year of wind energy and projects under construction would add another 940,000 megawatt-hours per year, according to the report.
The state's operating wind farms reduce global warming pollution that would otherwise be emitted by fossil fuel-burning power plants by 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year - the equivalent of taking 218,000 cars off the road each year.
Mr. Masur attributed the growth of Pennsylvania's wind energy sector to the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, a state program that requires a percentage of energy sales to come from alternative energy sources, and the federal renewable energy production tax credit, which is slated to expire at the end of December.
Critics of the tax credit argue the wind industry should be mature enough to compete without subsidies.
But Mr. Blake said an extension of the credit is necessary to signal predictability to the industry as it determines the scale of its operations and whether or not to make new investments.
The tax credit has been renewed and allowed to expire at different times since it was first enacted in 1992, leading to boom and bust cycles of wind power development.
Mr. Blake has witnessed the "enormous" private investment made by wind developers in the state and the jobs it has created.
"Pennsylvania has been a leader in this clean energy space and we'd like to remain so," he said.
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com