So, did GSHP make it into the much ballyhooed federal income tax credit extensions this week on the coat-tails of wind & solar, or not? Anybody know?

Yep, for residential, the commercial one was nixed, but is still worked on.

I guess they did not include the residential tax credit.

"In their haste to release the bill, staffers inadvertently left out language that would have included other eligible renewable technologies for tax credit extensions. This excluded the PTC for geothermal power, and the ITC and income tax credits for GHPs, fuel cells, small wind, microturbines, and combined heat and power. Just like those industries, GEO was blindsided by the 11th-hour deal for wind and solar that excluded our technology from the Omnibus bill. "

"House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she has been promised action in early 2016: “We still have some unfinished business there, because the bill, through a drafting error, did not include fuel cells, geothermal, and some other renewables that are part of that tax credit. And we
have a commitment that that will happen in an early revue bill after the first of the year,” she told reporters."

Where were those quotes clipped from?

That's a tough break for the industry for now- it's not clear how easy it would be to push it back in on some other bill given the polarization in the House.

The extension and re-structuring of the solar & wind subsidies with multi-staged step downs and " construction start" language was more than most analysts were expecting, and will all but guarantee major disruption in the wholesale electricity markets before 2020 (disruption that was already ongoing, but now ongoing on steroids.) The installed cost of ~5kw rooftop systems in Australia has dropped below the buck-a-watt (USD) level in Q4 2015, and that will likely happen in the US by the time the subsidy disappears completely. At $1/watt that's cheaper than grid-retail power almost everywhere in the US, and cheaper than new fossil generation wholesale on a lifecycle cost basis in many locations.

Important Message from GEO
GEO Wins Tax Extenders and Gains a Clear Path Forward for Extension of Tax Credits

We sincerely thank all of you who took the time on such short notice this week to call your senators and representatives about securing an extension of IRS Sec. 48(a) tax credits and 5-year depreciation for commercial geothermal heat pumps (GHPs).
And even though extensions of our tax credits were not included in the sweeping $1.1trillion Omnibus spending bill passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, we have a clear path forward to achieve that goal early next year.
But first let me say that we scored a big win today with passage of a companion $650 million tax bill that includes four “tax extenders” which are particularly beneficial to the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry:
• Expensing under Section 179 was modified and made permanent (making small business eligible for a 100% deduction for investments in geothermal system equipment during the first year after installation),
• Bonus Depreciation was modified and extended for 5 years,
• Tax credit for energy efficient new homes was extended to Dec. 31, 2016, and
• Deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings was extended to Dec. 31, 2016.
Having worked hard for passage of these extenders over the past couple of years, GEO is happy about their passage. But we are just as disappointed as all of you when despite our best efforts, GHPs were passed over for extensions of tax credits for wind and solar technologies included in the Omnibus bill. In exchange for lifting a decades-old ban on exporting crude oil from the United States, the Omnibus bill extends the Wind Production Tax Credit (PTC - IRS Sec. 45), the 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit (including 5-year depreciation under IRS 48a), and the 30% Solar Income Tax Credit for residential installations (under IRS 25D). Both the wind PTC and the solar tax credit extensions include phase-outs through 2022.
How did this happen, and why were GHPs left out of this important measure?
Tax and spending negotiations for the past several months have included discussions about lifting the country’s ban on crude oil exports in exchange for extending the wind PTC and ITC for eligible energy properties, including solar, GHPs and other renewables.
During that time, GEO was assured by Congressional staff that any ITC extension would include ALL eligible energy property.
By late November, the House Ways and Means Committee had included the ITC extension in its tax bill, which included the “PTC and ITC phased out over 5 years.” Tax writing staff confirmed to GEO that the proposal included all technologies eligible for the ITC under current law.
All that changed on the evening of Dec. 15, when PTC and ITC extensions were moved to the Omnibus bill during last-minute negotiations. In exchange for ending the oil export ban wanted by Republicans, the Democrats demanded new provisions for water protection, plus extension of the wind PTC and ITC.
During the closed-door meeting, which was impossible to anticipate or influence, the wind PTC and solar tax credits were hurriedly inserted into the final Omnibus bill. In their haste to release the bill, staffers inadvertently left out language that would have included other eligible renewable technologies for tax credit extensions. This excluded the PTC for geothermal power, and the ITC and income tax credits for GHPs, fuel cells, small wind, microturbines, and combined heat and power. Just like those industries, GEO was blindsided by the 11th-hour deal for wind and solar that excluded our technology from the Omnibus bill. Despite hundreds of last-minute calls from so many or you, we failed by only one vote to gain a last-ditch amendment that would have included GHPs and other eligible technologies in the legislation.
It’s important to remember that GHPs’ commercial and residential tax credits remain in force until Dec. 31, 2016. And with our new allies in the geothermal power, fuel cell, small wind, microturbine, and combined heat and power industries, GEO can make a powerful argument for both fairness and equity.
I’m happy to report that with the immediate backlash whipped up by the GHP and other industries left out of the tax credit extensions, key congressional staff are well aware of the problem. We have assurances from them that the inequity will be addressed during the first few months of 2016.
House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has publicly acknowledged concern that the ITC and income tax credit extensions for solar did not include other eligible technologies, saying, "We'd be glad to revisit that." And House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she has been promised action in early 2016: “We still have some unfinished business there, because the bill, through a drafting error, did not include fuel cells, geothermal, and some other renewables that are part of that tax credit. And we
have a commitment that that will happen in an early revue bill after the first of the year,” she told reporters.
At first blush, GHP exclusion from tax credit extensions in the Omnibus bill looked bad for the industry. But on further review, we now believe that the situation has created an easier path for us to get 48a and 25D tax credits for GHPs extended to 2022. During the first quarter of the year, our goal is to include GHPs in an amendment that will give us parity with solar industry tax credit extensions.
That is the opportunity that we are now focused on going forward.
With the solar ITC and income tax credits already extended by the Omnibus bill, we know exactly the terms we must fight for, with the solar tax credit extensions as a prime example. And we now have a timeline and defined way forward, with new and renewed support in Congress.
In coming weeks, GEO will urge Congress to extend ITC and income tax credits for ALL eligible technologies. Our message? Congress should not be in the business of picking winners and losers among renewable energy options. It must remain technology neutral and market sensitive. This is especially important as the nation reaches for lofty environmental and economic goals.
GEO is confident that with your help we can succeed. We again thank everyone who heeded our admittedly hurried call to action this week. And we ask that you be ready to act again when called upon in the next few months.
Your voice will be crucial to our arguments to give our tax credits a chance to expand GHP market share in an improving economy. All hands on deck!
Sincerely,
Douglas Dougherty President and CEO GEO – The Geothermal Exchange Organization

doc: If you're going to copy material from other sources, it's useful to cite those sources.

Volume Two ● Number 12
December 21, 2015
Geothermal Exchange Organization
GEO Industry News

Also at www.geoexchange.org

Danke zehr, mein Herr!

Mit Vergnügen, Herr Dorsett

Posted By Dana1 on 22 Dec 2015 11:49 AM
doc: If you're going to copy material from other sources, it's useful to cite those sources.

I indeed did. I did cite Doug Doherty, who is the CEO of the Geoexchange Organization, at the end of the quote.

I was thinking the same thing...duly attributed to Doug Dougherty.

Posted By docjenser on 24 Dec 2015 07:30 PM

Posted By Dana1 on 22 Dec 2015 11:49 AM
doc: If you're going to copy material from other sources, it's useful to cite those sources.

I indeed did. I did cite Doug Doherty, who is the CEO of the Geoexchange Organization, at the end of the quote.

Citing a published (or unpublished) source is more than the mere name and title of the author. The publication(or other forum) and the date would be the minimum. (As kindly supplied by mtrentw.) A link to an online version or full reference to that source, or a publication's discussion of the source & context is even better, if available.

Posted By Dana1 on 28 Dec 2015 02:02 PM

Posted By docjenser on 24 Dec 2015 07:30 PM

Posted By Dana1 on 22 Dec 2015 11:49 AM
doc: If you're going to copy material from other sources, it's useful to cite those sources.

I indeed did. I did cite Doug Doherty, who is the CEO of the Geoexchange Organization, at the end of the quote.

Citing a published (or unpublished) source is more than the mere name and title of the author. The publication(or other forum) and the date would be the minimum. (As kindly supplied by mtrentw.) A link to an online version or full reference to that source, or a publication's discussion of the source & context is even better, if available.

I did not intent to write a scientific paper here, with a standardized format for reference. I merely wanted to pass on the information you were asking for. This came from Doug Doherty from the Geo Exchange Organization, as I clearly indicated. A quick 10 second web search can get you all the links to all the online versions you desire.

A quick 10 second search of the first line in quotes "We sincerely thank all of you who took the time on such short notice this week to call your senators " turned up no hits.

Is it really online at all?

The headline as posted
"GEO Wins Tax Extenders and Gains a Clear Path Forward for Extension of Tax Credits" gives you 684 hits on google, including the geoexchange website as a top hit. It took 8 seconds....