Home Public Affairs Federal Legislation Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008

Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008

The formerly entitled “Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008,” or Division B of HR 1424, was signed into law by President Bush on October 3.  The signed bill contains $18 billion in incentives for clean and renewable energy technologies, as well as for energy efficiency improvements.  The bill:
Solar
  • Extends the tax credits for investment in commercial and residential solar projects for eight years
  • Allows a new energy tax credit for combined heat and power system property
  • Removes the $2,000 cap on investments in residential solar electric installations
  • Adds utilities as eligible recipients of tax credits

Wind

  • Extends the tax credit for the production of energy from wind for one year
  • Allows a new energy tax credit for 30% of expenditures for wind turbines used to generate electricity in a residence and for geothermal heat pump systems

Misc.  Renewable/Non-renewable generation

  • Allows offsets of tax credit amounts against alternative minimum tax (AMT) liabilities
  • Extends tax credit for other facilities, including closed and open-loop biomass, solar energy, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash combustion, and hydropower for two years
  • Allows a new tax credit for investment in new clean renewable energy bonds for capital investment in renewable energy facilities
  • Extends the tax credit for microturbine property for eight years
  • Extends the tax credits for investment in commercial fuel cells for eight years and increases the credit limitation for fuel cell property to $1500

Vehicles

  • Allows a new tax credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles
  • Extends the excise tax credit for alternative fuel and fuel mixtures for one year
  • Requires such fuels to include compressed or liquefied biomass gas and to meet certain carbon capture requirements

For a comprehensive list of all the issues included in this bill including transmission, clean coal and transportation fuel provisions, please contact a member of CCSE’s policy staff or visit http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c110query.html

 

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