1. Tax Incentives to Promote Industry Growth
- Eliminate the construction deadline for the payment in lieu of tax credit grant program and extend its duration.
- Extend the geothermal tax credits for at least six years to address the long development time-frame for geothermal projects and the need to build the supporting infrastructure for new projects and technology.
- Extend the current PTC/ITC/ITC-Grant provisions for geothermal projects placed in service by 2016.
- Extend the current PTC/ITC/ITC-Grant provisions to geothermal exploratory drilling.
2. Transmission
- Work with collaborative state and regional efforts to ensure transmission networks and policies support new geothermal development.
- Work collaboratively with other renewable groups to support policies and initiatives to promote needed transmission.
3. Leasing and Permitting Delays Challenge Geothermal Development
- Seek oversight of delays facing geothermal development.
- Engage in constructive efforts to streamline NEPA processing at the state, federal and local level.
4. New Federal Initiatives are Needed to Support Exploratory Geothermal Drilling
- Extend the 30% ITC and ITC Grant to Exploratory Drilling.
- Provide $200 million to DOE to fund all ARRA drilling applications.
- Provide $500 million for a new Revolving Loan Fund to promote exploratory drilling and mapping of the nation's geothermal resource base.
Additional Priority Issues
- Support long-term robust funding for DOE's geothermal technologies program that addresses the full spectrum of geothermal technologies and needs.
- Support DOE/FERC and state transmission efforts.
- Engage in the creation of strong state and national renewable electricity standards.
- Support restoration of county share of geothermal royalties and long-term extension of BLM program's geothermal trust fund.