Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Rural Wind Energy Expansion Act of 2014”.
Rural Wind Energy Expansion Act of 2014
A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the maximum nameplate capacity of a small wind turbine qualifying for an energy credit from 100 kilowatts to 20 megawatts.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
Distributed wind power, commonly referred to as “small and community wind”, is the use of wind turbines that are typically modest in size at homes, farms, businesses, and public places to offset all or a portion of the site's energy consumption.
Distributed wind power can be employed efficiently at millions of sites, which means it has the potential to produce very large amounts of electricity across the Nation and abroad, even in the most remote or dangerous locations.
This segment of the renewable energy industry provides myriad public benefits, including high levels of domestic manufacturing, energy resilience and independence, and thousands of small business jobs in dozens of states.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others have demonstrated that distributed wind power provides a strong economic multiplier effect, which means greater local revenue for the communities that install distributed wind turbines.
There are barriers to the market penetration of distributed wind power that have nothing to do with this proven technology, including inconsistent Federal policy and problematic local zoning ordinances.
Harnessing the power of the wind at homes, farms, schools, businesses, and on certain public lands supports American small businesses, the economy, energy security, and the environment.
Expanding the investment tax credit for distributed wind builds on the success of the existing credit, tracks the development of distributed wind technology, and is a proven and efficient method of supporting this development.
Sec. 3 Amendment to energy credit for distributed wind turbines
Section 48(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to qualified small wind property) is amended—
by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following new subparagraph:
“(A) In general—The term qualified small wind energy property means—
“(i) property which uses a qualifying small wind turbine to generate electricity, or
“(ii) property which uses 1 or more wind turbines with an aggregate nameplate capacity of more than 100 kilowatts but not more than 20 megawatts.”
by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D) and inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new subparagraph:
“(C) Regulations—The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be appropriate to prevent improper division of property to attempt to meet the limitation under subparagraph (A)(ii).”