Senator Calls for Wind Energy Transmission Lines

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Barrasso , R-Wyo., is urging Congress to develop practical policies to foster construction of new electric transmission lines for renewable energy sources, such as wind.

“Over the past year, Congress has debated a variety of fiscal incentives for developing alternative energies,” Barrasso said. “However, the fundamental questions of how we deliver that energy to American consumers have been vastly ignored during this debate.”

Barrasso’s comments were made following a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing into the challenges and solutions to developing transmission for renewable electricity resources.

“Renewable technologies like wind, solar, and geothermal are often not located close to existing electric transmission lines. Offering incentives for renewable energy development without addressing the means to transport it simply doesn’t make sense.”

During the hearing, Barrasso questioned Mr. T. Boone Pickens, Chairman of BP Capital Management, regarding the barriers for the construction of transmission lines for renewable electricity. Mr. Pickens, who has proposed the largest wind farm in the U.S. , responded that access to transmission corridors is the biggest obstacle to electricity production.

“In the coming days, I will introduce legislation to address the needs of our nation’s energy infrastructure, and foster American productivity and competitiveness,” Barrasso concluded. “It will offer needed assistance to construct these transmission lines, as well as carbon dioxide pipelines.”

“We must also find ways to provide this industry with long-term stability and certainty through renewable energy tax credits. I fully support an extension of these credits even beyond the current one-year window. Expiration dates are good for milk cartons, not for business plans.”

Bryce Freeman, a member of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority Board, also testified at the hearing.