Snuck into a renewable energy bill is a proposed decrease to Georgia renewable energy tax credits. It already passed the House and needs to be fixed in the Senate.

In HB 818 Section 2.3:

(G) For calendar year 2014, $5 2.5 million.”

The Georgia House passed this bill unanimously, apparently paying attention only to the addition of geothermal and not noticing this item at the end. It is in the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Tim Golden is a member. Less than a year ago he assisted in passing these very same renewable energy GEFA tax credits and the next day in Valdosta at the ribbon cutting for the Wiregrass Solar project he said:

…solar power at one time was a theory, and now it’s in practice.

He and other Georgia State Senators need to know somebody in the statehouse is trying to stop that solar practice.

Capitol Office 121-G State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 656-7580 Fax: (404) 651-6767

tim.golden@senate.ga.gov District Information 110 Beacon Hill Valdosta, GA 31602 Fax: (229) 241-7732

Why decrease? The current GEFA renewable energy tax credits are already almost entirely subscribed through 2014. Why not increase them?

-jsq

PS: Owed to Claudia Collier.

PPS: Current law:

The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001

OCGA Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 46

1. The legislature finds that it is in the public interest to:
   1. Encourage private investment in renewable energy resources;
   2. Stimulate the economic growth of Georgia; and
   3. Enhance the continued diversification of the energy resources used in Georgia.
2. The General Assembly further finds and declares that a program to provide distributed generation for eligible cogenerators is a way to encourage private investment in renewable energy resources, stimulate in-state economic growth, enhance the continued diversification of this state’s energy resource mix, and reduce interconnection and administrative costs.

Short Link: