Press Release

UDALL: FOREIGN OIL CONCERNS SHOULD 
MOVE U.S. TO ADVANCE RENEWABLE ENERGY

New Mexico Lawmaker Outlines Benefits of Wind Energy

WASHINGTON - Heightened concern about America's dependence on foreign oil could provide the strongest incentives yet for the nation to boost research in renewable energy and improve energy efficiency, U.S. Representative Tom Udall (D-NM) said today. 

Foreign countries produced more than half the oil America consumed last year, with Persian Gulf countries - namely Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait - producing close to a quarter of those imports. Udall, a longstanding alternative energy advocate, contends that the Middle East's political uncertainty should prompt Congress to pursue homegrown energy sources such as fuel cells, biomass, geothermal, and wind and solar power.

Udall said that the nation must diversify its energy sources, saying the country will have no choice but to rethink its energy policy as world oil reserves shrink in the decades ahead. "We should not have our economic interests tied to foreign policy," Udall said. "Although energy matters are subject to market and political forces far beyond New Mexico's borders, it doesn't have to be. Alternative energy is good policy and we need to embrace it now more than ever. I am convinced that with the current climate in the world, there should be a bigger push in Congress to expand renewable forms of energy." 

The New Mexico Democrat is assigned to the House Committee on Resources, which has jurisdiction over public land issues and was one of the committees that had authority over President Bush's energy plan, H.R. 4, which passed the House in August. Udall voted against the measure because it failed to strike the right balance between production and conservation, as well as failing to provide incentives for encouraging more forms of alternative energy. 

Udall has repeatedly called for action on H.R. 876, which seeks to provide a 5-year extension of the credit for electricity produced from wind. Under current law, wind producers qualify for a tax credit, allowing them to take a 1.8-cent tax credit on each kilowatt-hour of energy generated. The credit has encouraged utilities to expand their investments in this power source and increase their reliance on clean, environmentally-sound infrastructure. The credit expired at the end of 2001.

"By enacting the tax credit legislation that I am cosponsoring, the federal government can continue to encourage the expansion of this neglected source. Wind energy is one of the cleanest, most cost-effective, and safest ways to generate power, offering immense benefits to consumers, property owners and utility providers. Expanding this source of energy would benefit New Mexicans, both in terms of keeping costs down and in new economic development," Udall emphasized.

Wind energy is the world's fastest growing form of electricity generation, meeting the growing demand for clean renewable energy. Wind turbines generate electricity with no emissions and no fuel at prices above current generation costs. In addition to the environmental benefits, wind generation can offer stable 20-year prices because it is not subject to fuel price risks. 

Nationwide, wind energy has the potential to supply 20 percent of our electric power, according to experts. In fact, the state of North Dakota alone has wind potential to meet roughly one-third of the nation's power needs. 

"New Mexico has the potential to produce a great deal of low-cost, wind-generated energy. I've heard of a number of wind-energy projects that are under consideration in New Mexico that would help stimulate local economies. It only makes sense that we do all we can to foster the further development of this clean industry - - especially if it could provide jobs to New Mexicans," Udall concluded.

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