Wind and solar subsidies extended in C-19 stimulus bill

There you have it, the wind and solar crowd got an extension on subsidies in the latest $900MM stimulus bill and the Maine delegation was all in. This could unleash a storm of new development in Maine. I encourage everyone who cares about this beautiful state to call all of our esteemed representatives in DC and express your outrage. If you haven't seen the obscene spending in this bill, here it is:

Stimulus Bill:

 

$25 Million for Pakistan gender programs
$1.4B for Asia Reassurance Initiative Act
$250M in Palestinian aid
$85M to Cambodia
$700M to Sudan
$135M to Burma
$130M to Nepal

 

Only $600 for each American.

 

$500 million to Israel
$300,000,000 for Migrant and Refugee Assistance pg.. 147 DA FUQ?!
$10,000 per person for student loan bailout
$100,000,000 to NASA, because, who knows why.
$20,000,000,000 to the USPS, because why not
$300,000,000 to the Endowment for the Arts – because of it
$300,000,000 for the Endowment for the Humanities/ because no one even knew that was a thing
$15,000,000 for Veterans Employment Training / for when the GI Bill isn’t enough
$435,000,000 for mental health support
$30,000,000,000 for the Department of Education stabilization fund/ because that will keep people employed (all those zeros can be confusing, that’s $30 BILLION)
$200,000,000 to Safe Schools Emergency Response to Violence Program
$300,000,000 to Public Broadcasting / NPR has to be bought by the Democrats
$500,000,000 to Museums and Libraries / Who knows how we are going to use it
$720,000,000 to Social Security Admin / but get this only 200,000,000 is to help people. The rest is for admin costs
$25,000,000 for Cleaning supplies for the Capitol Building / I kid you not it’s on page 136
$7,500,000 to the Smithsonian for additional salaries
$35,000,000 to the JFK Center for Performing Arts
$25,000,000 for additional salary for House of Representatives
$3,000,000,000 upgrade to the IT department at the VA
$315,000,000 for State Department Diplomatic Programs
$95,000,000 for the Agency of International Development
$300,000,000 for International Disaster Assistance
$90,000,000 for the Peace Corp pg. 148
$13,000,000 to Howard University pg. 121
$9,000,000 Misc. Senate Expenses pg. 134
$100,000,000 to Essential Air carriers pg. 162. This of note because the Airlines are going to need billions in loans to keep them afloat ($100,000,000 is chump change.)
$40,000,000,000 goes to the Take Responsibility to Workers and Families Act This sounds like it’s direct payments for workers pg. 164
$1,000,000,000 Airlines Recycle and Save Program pg. 163
$25,000,000 to the FAA for administrative costs pg. 165
$492,000,000 to National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) pg. 167
$526,000,000 Grants to Amtrak to remain available if needed through 2021 pg. 168 (what are the odds that doesn’t go unused) Hidden on page 174 the Secretary has 7 days to allocate the funds & notify Congress
$25,000,000,000 for Transit Infrastructure pg. 169
$3,000,000 Maritime Administration pg. 172
$5,000,000 Salaries and Expensive Office of the Inspector General pg. 172
$2,500,000 Public and Indian Housing pg. 175
$5,000,000 Community Planning and Development pg. 175
$2,500,000 Office of Housing

This is a message to anyone who supports president Trump - basically, go FY - we hope you enjoy your $600. 

Views: 530

Comment

You need to be a member of Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine to add comments!

Join Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power - Maine

Comment by Richard McDonald/Saving Maine on December 22, 2020 at 8:30pm

I just received confirmation on the details of the wind/solr subsidies in the C-19 relief pork barrel. Let's say, it could be worse. Here's the run down:

Current law without this latest action requires any new wind project to start construction before the end of 2020 to earn 60% ptc (1.5 cents) per kWh. With the extension they now have until the end of 2021. The IRS development window is still in place which means developers have 4 years from the date of starting construction to get their projects in service.

 

Solar received a reprieve of 2 years on the phase down of the ITC. The ITC phase down began after 2019. So projects that started construction in 2019 earned the full 30% ITC. Projects started in 2020 earn 26% ITC; If started in 2021 earn 22% and thereafter a permanent 10% ITC was available. Under the change, the 26% ITC continues through to the end of 2023 and  then phases down to 22% and 10% respectively.

 

Offshore wind earned its own benefit – a 30% ITC through to 2025. The cost will be exorbitant.

 

A key question is whether big wind can afford to be constructed onshore in New England or the east coast at a 60% PTC. All of the wind built in the recent years have been either at the 100% PTC or 80% PTC. We do not have a great wind resource and the land is costly to build on, not to mention the opposition cost.

We have the second round of PUC renewable RFP's going out in January - it'll take until late Summer/early Fall to know the winners. Lots of wind developers bid on the first round - I expect nothing different this time around. The four year construction window doesn't impact the PUC scheme due to the guranteed 20 year power purchase agreements and mandated operational timetable. 

Comment by Penny Gray on December 22, 2020 at 6:07pm

Thank you for this info, Richard McDonald... I think.

Comment by Richard McDonald/Saving Maine on December 22, 2020 at 5:26pm

I wonder how much Tom Daffron, Susan Collins' longtime paramour and now hubby, will find in his accounts? There's some sneaky military spending hidden away in this pork soup - Tom was/is a defense lobbyist and worked for McDonnel-Douglass. He was Senator Bill Cohen COS for years. DC is truly awash in graft.  

Comment by Long Islander on December 22, 2020 at 5:01pm
Christmas comes early. Anyone want to bet that much of the money, including that going off to foreign lands, ends up in the pockets of this permanent political class? Let's see all their finances and their families' finances, especially offshore accounts.
Comment by Richard McDonald/Saving Maine on December 22, 2020 at 4:55pm

Jim: I've reached out for the details. Will post them as soon as they are confirmed. I assume it's a big extension in years as well as the $$$. I beleive the Biden crowd had a hand in this - they're talking 100% renewbles by 2035 - causing a total collapse of our econmy IMO. China is licking their chops.  

Comment by Jim Wiegand on December 22, 2020 at 4:46pm

How much for wind and do you have an exact quote from the bill?

Comment by Richard McDonald/Saving Maine on December 22, 2020 at 4:16pm

Bob: No, it means quite the opposite - Trump would never support this outrageous level of pork. I'm sure McConnel and his cohorts Schumer and Pelosi have a veto proof bill here. We'll see. To throw a bone to Americans desperate to survive this pandemic lockdown disasater while giving billions to foreign entities, Amtrak, USPS, etc. is a slap in the face - and it was meant to be just that.  

Comment by Bob Stone on December 22, 2020 at 3:58pm

What is that last line supposed to mean?  Is this Trump's bill?  He'll likely veto it.

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

Not yet a member?

Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?

We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

 -- Mahatma Gandhi

"It's not whether you get knocked down: it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi 

Task Force membership is free. Please sign up today!

Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

© 2024   Created by Webmaster.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service