GAO report gives misleading picture of federal incentives for wind energy

A recently commissioned Government Accountability Office (GAO) report was particularly unusual in singling out the wind industry, since numerous federal programs encourage all the various forms of energy.

Federal energy incentives are in place because it has always been in the public interest to ensure stable, low-priced energy, which in turn supports U.S. economic growth. With respect to wind, these policies have been working, as according to a 2012 report from Credit Suisse, current wind prices are affordable and competitive with all other forms of energy.

While the GAO report may provide useful sound bites for wind power opponents, only 16 of the 82 programs it tracked were solely for wind power. In fact, the majority of programs supported renewable energy or