5.3. ERMUSR 02-12-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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investments in renewable energy projects and has been instrumental in making public power wind projects viable in Minnesota. Congress implemented the KEPI program with two goals in mind: 1) to assist public power utilities in overcoming economic barriers to greater renewable energy use; and 2) to ensure equity between investor-owned utilities that receive energy tax credits and not- for-profit utilities that are unable to do so. For the past 15 years KEPI has been the primary federal program for assisting public power systems in overcoming economic barriers to greater renewable energy use. But the program has been consistently over-subscribed and under-funded, and needs to be funded at a substantially higher level to accomplish its purpose. Unless Congress steps up to the plate with adequate funding through the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, KEPI will receive only the FY 20061eve1 of $4.96 million again as it did in FY 2007. For real renewable energy growth, Congress should fund the KEPI program at substantially higher levels than DOE has requested for the past several years. Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association February 2008