Are Republicans the main supporters of wind power ?
The following is the article in its entirety :
Republicans The Wind Power Saviors?
by Pete Danko , Posted on February 22nd, 2012
The production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy
http://www.earthtechling.com/tag/production-tax-credit/
didnt shrivel up and blow away when Congress failed to include an extension with tax legislation passed earlier this month.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/02/wind-production-tax-credit-going-going-gone/
The wind industry, which says development will grind to a halt
http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/12/will-congress-let-us-keep-creating-american-jobs/
without the PTC, is continuing to push for an extension, and is doing so with what appears to honest-to-goodness bipartisan support.
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Job_losses_loom.cfm
In fact, most of the noise for this green-energy subsidy seems to be coming from wind-state Republicans, who could end up playing a sort of savior role.
One of the most persistent voices calling for the PTC to live on past its Dec. 31 expiration is Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a fierce critic of the Obama agendaexcept when it comes to wind. Iowa is a leading wind power state, and Kings 5th Congressional District is home to several large plants.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/midamerican-goes-whole-hog-for-iowa-wind/
Iowa was the first state to generate 20 percent of its electricity from wind, King wrote in an op-ed supporting the PTC extension.
http://steveking.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4357&Itemid=300100
Now, wind supports as many as 5,000 Iowa jobs, and $11 million in annual land lease payments to Iowa farmers. Iowa wind has prompted $300 million in private investment in Iowa manufacturing facilities.
In deeply red Kansas, support for the PTC comes from Republican Gov.
https://governor.ks.gov/frontpagenews/2012/02/15/governor-brownback-recognizes-impact-of-wind-energy-industry-on-kansas-economy
Sam Brownbackjoining Republican governors from Iowa [PDF]
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pressreleases/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=13871
and Oklahoma [PDF] in backing the extensionand from Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). Morans district includes the Hutchinson Wind Energy plant, where Siemens employs more than 350 people to make turbine nacelles.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2010/12/siemens-boosts-u-s-wind-power-jobs/
During a recent visit to the plant, Moran told a local newspaper, Theres no doubt in my mind if we extend it that this is a job creator. More people will be working and paying taxes and helping get our financial house in order.
http://hutchnews.com/todaystop/moran-at-siemens--1
After the failure to get the extension through earlier this month, the American Wind Energy Association said there was still time to take action, but added that due to the long lead times for wind projects, an extension really needed to happen in the first quarter of the year in order to avoid big job losses.
Moran and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said they would try to get the PTC extension into a big transportation bill now making its way through Congress. Their challenge in that effortand in any other effort that might emerge, should this one failis to convince Republicans from states where the wind industry isnt a big player to risk supporting the PTC. And the risk is real, as Moran would no doubt attest; he was attacked in a piece on the conservative site Red State for supporting Obamas policy of picking losers in the energy sector.
Moran has tried to deflect that criticism by supporting just a one-year extension of the PTC, instead of the four-year extension that has been under consideration.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/11/clean-energy-tax-credit-extension-proposed/
King, for his part, has attempted to cast the continuation of the tax credit as a move to not increase taxes on wind power production. Wind industry leaders know how to expand this business and provide more U.S. jobs, he wrote in his op-ed. They just need Washington to provide stable, low tax rates. The PTC means keeping investment dollars in the market placenot in the hands of government.
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Interesting article. It seems all you have to do is follow the money. If wind power brings in more money to your state, and you happen to be a Republican, then wind power is OK.
Same with the Dems I am sure.
Easy Money.
You're GD right this is an interesting article ! Do I write any other kind ?
In any case anytime someone says that wind power is a green boondoggle , they should be forced to read this article , not for punishment but for perspective ...
More about the PTC [ production tax credit ] :
[[Under current law, companies that generate wind, geothermal, marine and certain types of biomass power are eligible for a tax credit worth 2.2-cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 10 years of a plants operation. The provision covering wind is due to expire at the end of 2012, and runs for an additional year for the other forms of renewable energy.
The credit has been particularly important for wind power producers, who say that it has helped spur more than $16 billion in annual private investment and supported tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last several years. A recent report commissioned by the AWEA and put together by Navigant Consulting found that the U.S. wind industry would lose 37,000 jobs and suffer a nearly two-thirds drop in private investment if Congress allows the PTC for wind to expire.]]
And from the above article it appears that the main support for extending the PTC is coming from the Repubs at this time . Surprised ?
There are some geographic regions where wind power is very viable , some where it it not and everything in between . For example Wisconsin does not have that good a wind profile . OTOH Iowa , Texas and other states do . If anyone wants more info on those details leave a comment .
[["Green" pork, is just as wretched as all the other pork]]
Actually it is probably worse than other pork . But in the case of wind power it is obvious [if you bothered to read the article] that in some cases wind power is thought to be quite a valuable contribution to the economies of certain states . That does NOT mean that it is valuable for every state . For example , Wisconsin turned down government supported wind power . They were right to do so . You can't say the same thing about Iowa among others .
Like the article Rich, a lot.
We have a wind farm going in about 20 miles from our place...
... the blades are made in Grand Forks . The initial backer, backed out and someone new stepped in. They are looking to sell energy to our local provider andfigure we won't see a real difference in cost right away, figure about 20 years before it starts paying off in monetary value. The real issue it seems is the grid, geting that in place will be the difference between success or failure.
Some interesting info there . Here are the corrected links for anyone who wants to read it themselves:
Thanks Rich.
Some days I'm lucky to be able to even get on the Internet with the stupid tangle of fireblocks they have here in place at my work.
I am really looking forward to watching them go up; they are awesomely huge!
I dont know if you are aware of this, but god hates windmills. If you must know, it is because satan causes windmills to heat the dirt below them by more than a whole degree, and this can cause the discomfort of scorpions and rattlesnakes everywhere.
Dang!
I had no idea!
All the rattlesnakes I've ever met liked the extra heat . The sidewinders , not so much .
And scorpions just taste better when they are warmed up . In fact add a little melted butter and they taste similar to lobster . Of course it's a good idea to kill them and remove their stingers first , but that's just me ...