One short piece of legislation recently introduced in Washington, DC as the potential to unleash a new wave of investment in renewable energy technologies.
The bill, the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act (MLPPA), introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers would allow clean energy companies to organize as a Master Limited Partnership (MLP), an arrangement currently applicable only to oil and gas companies.
In a recent post on the National Journal’s Energy Blog, ABO Executive Director Mary Rosenthal weighed in on what this bill could do for renewable energy investment:
…this very simple piece of legislation will have significant benefits to our economy, our environment and our national energy security. By giving renewable fuel projects the same tax incentives and treatment that fossil fuel projects have enjoyed for decades, the MLPPA will help biofuel companies overcome the so-called valley of death – the space between successful pilot or demonstration facilities and full-blown commercial facilities. It will also increase investment opportunities for a wider audience, allowing more people to “vote with their dollars.” Last, by facilitating the commercialization of new fuels, this bill will help create jobs and drive economic growth across the country.
Read the rest of Mary’s column here.