Senate Bill Stripped of Solar Provisions
By SolarPromoter - 26.12.2007
In case you missed it, Congress and the President served to strip the Energy bill of provisions that would have extended Solar Product tax credits past 2008. Today, a homeowner can take a solar energy tax credit up to $2,000. The original Senate bill would have extended that solar energy tax credit limit up to $4,000, but all bets are off now.
Under the twin pressures of a veto threat by Bush and a Republican filibuster led by Sen. Pete Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican, Senate Democrats on Thursday stripped from the bill provisions to extend and strengthen tax incentives for homeowners and businesses that install solar energy products, and other clean energy measures, offset with $21.8 billion in tax hikes, mostly on the oil industry.
While consumers and voters were shopping for Wii’s for the teens, Webkins for the kids, and a truck bed liner for mom or dad, the politicians decided to skip clean energy and shoot for cheap.
It is a stark contrast to the credits available in Europe that extend many years into the future. It is in stark contrast even to many third world countries that are funding entire solar energy systems to bring power to homes that have never had electricity. It is a distinct protective step backwards for the US.
