ND, SD provide more incentives for energy development
We stumbled across this interesting study from Basin Electric Power Coop on the Wyoming Taxpayer's Association web site. To sum it up, Montana is second to last in our region for providing property tax incentives for wind generation, providing a 50% rate reduction over the life of the project. Compare that with an 85% reduction in North Dakota and a 70% reduction in South Dakota. We also lag behind the Dakotas in incentives for coal-fired generation.
Admittedly, Basin Electric's comparison is a bit cursory. It doesn't take into account the total tax structure for these states. For instance, in addition to property taxes in Montana, coal-fired generation must also take into accounth the Coal Severance Tax. However, this just reinforces the point made in our article from yesterday that while Montana talks big about energy development, our neighboring states are actually doing something to make it to happen.
Carter
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Carter, please do your readers a service and post the facts about Governor Brian Schweitzer’s energy tax incentives. Apparently the Wyoming Taxpayers Association did not know about Governor Schweitzer’s permanent tax cuts for new clean and green energy, but surely you were paying attention to the legislation that passed during the May special session.
But just in case you’ve forgotten or were out of the country, HB 3 (now law) includes tax cuts/abatements for new clean and green transmission lines, pipelines, power plants, liquid fuel plants, coal gasification plants, ethanol and biodiesel fuel, biomass and biogas energy, geothermal, solar and wind power – and renewable-related manufacturing facilities and research and development equipment tied to clean and green coal technology. This bill had wide support from industry and organized labor, and it’s misleading not to give Governor Schweitzer credit for its passage.
What I find doubly ironic today is that Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown voted against the Governor’s permanent tax cuts in HB 3, while he’s out touting his support for business tax cuts!
Viola,
The 50% rate reduction for wind generation referenced in my original post is a result of HB 3, so chill out a bit.
If you think the governor deserves credit, fine, he gets all the credit in the world for all the tax breaks for renewable energy that you list above. If that's the case, then he also deserves the blame for Montana falling behind other states in new energy development. Can you please list the actual projects that are in the works as a result of HB 3 in the categories of "green transmission lines, pipelines, power plants, liquid fuel plants, coal gasification plants, ethanol and biodiesel fuel, biomass and biogas energy, geothermal, solar and wind power."
The bottom line that new projects are coming online in other states and Montana is way behind the pack.
Well, there's one in ther works over by Glasgow... erm, never mind.
Schweitzer's bill died in the Senate.
HB 3 was made of amendments to replace Elliot's SB 220 with tax incentives for new energy proposals. Those ammendments and eventually HB 3 were authored by Sen. Essman and Sen. Peterson. Schweitzer just took the credit.
R-up,
Just a clarification, Senator Elliot's SB 220 isn't an energy bill and it and HB 3 are in no way related. HB 3 was carried by Rep. Llew Jones.
Sure Schweitzer took the credit for it, but a lot of Republicans did not support the bill, and for a lot of good reasons. Schweitzer and the Democrats own this one.
Carter,
SB 220 was amended in the House Tax Committee and was to be further amended on the floor of the House with amendment SB220-3, authored by Senators Essman and Peterson. Those amendments were to be carried by Rep. Lake but he handed them off to Rep. Olson. The Senate and House adjourned before SB 220 came to the floor of the House.
Those same amendments morphed into HB 3 carried by Rep.Jones in the special session.
I think the reasons some Republicans didn't vote for it is because it was carried by Jones and some would rather have nothing than take a chance BS might get credit.
When you look at the vote in the Senate the right wing voted the same as the left wing. The original vote in the House was 83-17.
R-up,
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.
I heard a rumor there's a new coal-to-liquids plant that was recently announced. But in North Dakota, not Montana.