In the past I've warned that given time and opportunity, that government will levy new taxes upon businesses and citizens to raise revenues--and the federal government is educating state governments to do just that. Tax freedom day may be prolonged--you will work longer just to pay all government taxes.In the EPA's Guidebook of Financial Tools: Paying for Environmental Systems, you too can learn how States are using the EPA's suggestions to increase revenue through environmental initiatives. On a positive side you can discover how some of the revenues are used for grants to individuals and businesses, discover cheap sources of loans for alternative energy projects while learning what government is focusing on to tax. A few key areas of concern are the Corporate Income, Environmental, Ecological (EcoTax) and Gross Receipts taxes. There are several other industry specific tax areas focusing on tourism and lodging. For personal impact to individuals, I suggest reading the document since increased taxes hit in numerous consumer areas.
My favorite sections of this document are what I originally stumbled on. Section 2B: Loans and Section 2C: Tools for Acquiring Capital (Grants) discusses various government agencies and some programs with zero interest loans, low interest loans (4% Department of Agriculture), commercial loans ranging from 0% to market rates and numerous methods for enterprise and SMBs that can qualify for the financing and grants.
For data centers, exercise caution in your plans and budgets. Still using diesel generators for backup juice? You may get hit with both Environmental and EcoTaxes and added surcharges on your diesel fuel so consider using bio-diesel to avoid carbon and Eco taxes. This is just one scenario in how your budgeting to run disaster recovery during disruptions can cost you more than you originally planned. Some of these taxes are already in effect in some states. Armed with an understanding of what the government is proposing while making funding and grant monies (from new taxes) available might motivate some to step up their greening efforts to avoid these penalties.
For those considering Building Your Own Power Plant, you can find plenty of reasons and incentives within these pages but don't forget to look into Federal Tax Credits For Energy Efficiency. Then you will need a roadmap to safely navigate between incentives to obtain maximum benefits. For those considering building any Solar energy systems don't miss out on another government publication: The Borrower's Guide to Financing Solar Energy Systems A Federal Overview. State governments are shifting away from grants for Alternative Energy (AE) projects and the state of Maryland is doing this now in an effort to eliminate paying grants by passing legislation to force the utility companies to pay higher fees for Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Building an AE power plant in Maryland (once legislation is passed) means the owners of the AE power plants will receive 16-20% increases in RECs that they sell through brokers who in turn sell RECs to the utilities to meet State compliance.
