Jay Inslee Wants Plug-In Hybrid Tax Credits in the U.S.

Congressman Jay Inslee (Washington's first congressional district) is keeping busy. After co-authoring Apollo's Fire, a book about U.S. climate and energy policy, and getting an amendment in the energy bill to create a plug-in demonstration project, he's now fighting to get tax credits of up to $3000-4000 for plug-in hybrids.

Inslee is also a member of the Apollo Alliance. To find out more about it, you can read our interview with its founder, Jerome Ringo.

Congressman Inslee wrote:

This December, I won a provision in the House passed energy package that would give consumers a $4,000 tax credit for purchasing one of these next-generation green cars. The Senate came within one vote of overcoming a filibuster of this legislation, but could only muster 59 of the 60 votes needed.
Later in December, Congress approved and the president signed a narrower energy package that did not include tax provisions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that passing the energy tax provisions, including the plug-in tax credit, is one of her top priorities for 2008. And based on how close we came in December, I'm confident the energy tax provisions can be passed in both chambers this year.

I'm also pushing another legislative vehicle for enacting the plug-in tax credit: H.R. 589, my Get Real Incentives to Drive Plug-in Act. This bill includes this tax break for American who buy plug-ins, along with additional research funding, tax incentives for U.S. auto manufacturers that make these vehicles, grant programs for conversion facilities, and a testing facility for plug-in manufacturers.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has also been investing in plug-in research; $17.2 million to develop suitable batteries. ::GM-Volt, ::Apollo's Fire: A Book Review, ::How's The Google Plug-In Hybrid Fleet Doing?