Geothermal power gets boost in Senate

[IDemo]

Incoming majority leader wants tax credits similar to what solar, wind get

WASHINGTON - The lawmaker set to head the U.S. Senate called Wednesday for more incentives to expand geothermal power production, and accused the White House of being slow to support renewable energy.

Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who will be the chamber’s majority leader once Democrats take control of Congress in 2007, said U.S. energy companies need more incentives to produce geothermal power, which uses heat pockets beneath the earth’s surface to turn water to steam, powering turbines and generating electricity.

“The reason geothermal is a good alternative energy is that it’s a good 24-hour cycle,” Reid told reporters after meeting with geothermal industry officials. “The sun goes down at nighttime, the wind doesn’t blow all the time, but the steam comes from the Earth all the time.”

According to the Geothermal Energy Association, 58 new U.S. geothermal energy projects are in the works, which would double the nation’s geothermal capacity to more than 5,000 megawatts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15749933/