On November 30, SWANA as a member of the 1603 Coalition sent a letter to Congress in support of an extension of the 1603 grant program. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Section 1603, operations that qualified for Section 45 and 48 tax credits may elect to receive grant payments worth up to 30% the capital cost of the facility. WTE and LFG operations both qualify if owned by a tax-payer. This program is set to expire on December 31, 2011.

“To date twenty-six solid waste operations have taken advantage of this program, amounting to over fifty million dollars in grants a great investment in our industry” said John H. Skinner, PhD, Executive Director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America.

The letter encourages Congress to extend this valuable program as it will create jobs, spur economic growth and promote private sector development of energy technologies.

A copy of the letter can be found here.