Echoing Russian President Medvedev's call for resignations from those responsible for his country's Winter Olympics performance, the Harper Conservatives have scrapped the successful ecoENERGY for Renewable Power Program in the 2010 federal budget.
“The failure to extend and expand the ecoENERGY program will slow wind energy development and reduce our ability to compete with the United States for investment and jobs at a critical time in our economic recovery,” said CanWind Energy Association President, Robert Hornung.
Despite Harper's stated intention of harmonizing climate change and clean energy policies with the United States, the latest Conservative failure will have the result of setting Canada even farther behind world leaders in the devlopment of this resource.
In 2009, Canada added 38% to its wind energy capacity, or about 950 MW in all, thanks in no small part to federal subsidies . China led all nations with 13,000 MW of new wind power going online and U.S. was a close second with 9,000 MW.
Globally, 37,600 MW of wind power were added in 09, bringing the total installed capacity to 158 MW.
The fact that no federal funding for new wind projects will be available in Canada now suggests that investment dollars will go elsewhere. Especially since since President Obama's incentive plan continues through 2012. Some harmony.
It's a harmony of jobs and windmills spinning to the south of us while an increasingly foreign-owned cabal of corporate greed merchants cash in on Alberta's tar sands.
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