Congress is about to cancel the solar and wind investment tax credits. This would be devastating to our renewable energy future!!   

****Please urge your legislators to save solar and wind power by extending the tax credits.!*****

IF YOU REPRESENT A SOLAR BUSINESS, please encourage your employees and associates to do the same.

IF YOU WANT CLEAN ENERGY FOR YOURSELF, please pass this Action along to all your friends.

BACKGROUND
Currently the tax credits for wind and solar are due to expire at the end of 2008. Last Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi decided to drop the renewable energy standard AND THE TAX TITLE out of the energy bill. Without the tax title there can be no extension of the investment tax credit for solar and no extension of the production tax credit for wind energy.

In short, this means that our Congressional Leadership is going to vote on an energy bill with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for renewable energy. Eliminating the pro-solar provision from the Energy Act of 2005 JUST AS THE SOLAR INDUSTRY IS STARTING TO RAMP UP. Likewise the elimination of the Production Tax Credit will halt new wind development.

PLEASE CALL your congressional representatives. Please tell your Representatives and Senators to demand that Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi include the 8-year extension for the solar investment tax credit and the production tax credit in the energy bill. Tell them that the challenges we face need to be addressed and these tax titles MUST be included.

Find your representatives PHONE NUMBERS here:
http://ncsea.c.topica.com/maaiEpFabCEoGbswYorbaeQyif/

Here are some additional talking points:

* Clean energy means jobs. ASES' report released this week demonstrates that the 8.5 million Americans working in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries today, can grow to 40 million jobs by 2030 IF WE HAVE FEDERAL LEADERSHIP.
* America needs carbon-free, local, renewable energy now!
* The solution to global warming is to be found in the transition to a sustainable energy economy.
* Energy independence comes from growing these industries, NOT FROM PULLING THE CARPET OUT FROM UNDER THEM.

The bill numbers are:  Senate HR6 and House HR3221.

More on this from Grist:

...I've learned from concerned advocates that Democratic congressional leadership is considering stripping the production tax credits for wind and solar, along with the federal renewable portfolio standard, from the conference bill. Losing the RPS and the PTC would mean jettisoning basically every measure that the White House has complained about. Apparently, Reid and Pelosi may have decided that a bill with a Renewable Fuel Standard (i.e., monstrous subsidies for ethanol) and a boost in CAFE standards is enough to secure Democratic bragging rights on energy.

If this happens, it will mean there's bupkis in the energy bill for renewable electricity, imperiling probably billions of dollars in solar and wind contracts that have been written with the expectation that the production tax credits will lower costs to investors and consumers....

http://ncsea.c.topica.com/maaiEpFabCEpabswYorbaeQyif/

THIS IS URGENT! Please call your legislator and Nancy Pelosi - (202) 225-4965 and Harry Reid - (202) 224-3542 TODAY!

Thank you for taking Action Today!