Author: United States. Government Accountability Office

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13:

The states and the federal government have supported the development of electricity generation projects in a variety of ways. In recent years, state and federal supports have been targeted toward renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, although there have been some supports for projects using traditional sources -- natural gas, coal, and nuclear. GAO was asked to examine state and federal supports for the development of utility-scale electricity generation projects, power plants with generating capacities of at least 1 MW that are connected to the grid and intend to sell electricity, for fiscal years 2004 through 2013. This report (1) identifies key state supports for these projects; (2) examines key federal support provided through outlays, loan programs, and tax expenditures for these projects; and (3) examines how state and federal supports affect the development of new renewable projects. GAO modeled the impact of reducing federal tax expenditures on project finances. Congress should consider directing IRS to (1) collect and report project-level data from all taxpayers who claim the ITC and (2) collect and report similar data for taxpayers who claim the PTC.