Wind industry representatives said yesterday that an upcoming payroll tax cut extension bill is “effectively the last chance” to extend the federal production tax credit for wind power without disrupting operations.

E&E Daily (subscription required) reports manufacturers and suppliers are already facing a drop in orders in 2013 due to uncertainty over the tax credit. A bipartisan House bill, HR 3307, to extend the credit currently has 68 cosponsors.

The panel discussion was organized by the American Wind Energy Association, which has said failure to renew the credit could result in the loss of as many as 37,000 jobs. [PDF]

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.