65 Iowa Groups Ask Congressional Delegation to Push Renewal of the PTC
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Today, 65 groups and individual from Iowa sent a letter to their congressional delegation asking them to lead the renewal of the production tax credit for wind. Below is the letter:
September 13, 2012
| The Honorable Charles Grassley
United States Senate 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510
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The Honorable Steve King
United States House of Representatives 1131 Longworth Office Building Washington DC, 20515 |
| The Honorable Tom Harkin
United States Senate 731 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510
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The Honorable Tom Latham
United States House of Representatives 2217 Rayburn Office Building Washington DC, 20515 |
| The Honorable Bruce Braley
United States House of Representatives 1727 Longworth Office Building Washington DC, 20515
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The Honorable David Loebsack
United States House of Representatives 1527 Longworth Office Building Washington DC, 20515 |
| The Honorable Leonard Boswel
lUnited States House of Representatives 1026 Longworth Office Building Washington DC, 20515 |
Dear Iowa Congressional Delegation,
We, the undersigned groups and individuals, write to urge you to keep Iowans working and to continue promoting Iowa’s economic development, energy security and clean affordable electricity by immediately extending the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC). Action is needed to prevent expiration of the PTC at the end of this calendar year. Aided by the PTC, Iowa was the first state to generate almost 20 percent of its electricity from wind. Wind supports as many as 7,000 Iowa jobs, and millions in annual land lease payments to Iowa farmers. Iowa wind has also prompted $300 million in private investment in Iowa manufacturing facilities.
The wind industry in Iowa has diversified our rural economy. Since 1992, 2,978 wind turbines have been installed on 104 utility scale and community scale wind farms. Iowa now has 4,322 MW of electric generation capacity and 450 MW are under construction. This represents nearly $5 billion funneling through Iowa’s economy. Thousands of Iowans depend on the wind industry to support their families through construction, manufacturing, operations and maintenance jobs. In addition, land owner easement payments to farmers exceed $11 million annually and are extremely important in trying economic times. Economic conditions have been made even more difficult by the drought conditions that threaten this year’s crop production.
It is vital that Congress act now to avoid the looming tax increase on wind energy, as the economic damage has already begun. Without the certainty of the PTC, developers are cancelling projects because they cannot get financing. Consequently, manufacturers are faced with little or no orders for 2013. Layoffs have started.
Congress has the opportunity to stop further job losses and to halt economic deterioration in Iowa and throughout the nation. The payroll tax legislation now being debated in the both the Senate and the House offers a vehicle to extend the PTC. We respectfully request that an extension of the PTC be included in any tax overhaul policy.
This is not a partisan issue; it’s an Iowa jobs issue. We cannot as a state or as a country afford to let the PTC expire. With low taxes, wind power can continue to generate tremendous benefits – in jobs, investment and clean energy — to Iowa and the nation.
Sincerely,
| Allen, Chaz – Jasper County Economic Development Corporation
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management ServicesASFCMEAnemometry Specialists, Inc Beckman, Susan – Siemens Energy, Inc. Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Cherokee Area Economic Development Corporation Cherokee Industrial Corporation Clean Air Muscatine Clipper Wind, LLC Conley, Elizabeth – Clean Line Energy Partners Des Moines Area Community College Dowding Industries of Iowa, LLC Eastern Iowa Community College EDP Renewables North America, LLC Environmental Law and Policy Center Geier, Michael G. – Snyder and Associates, Inc Greater Des Moines Partnership Green State Solutions Hawkeye Community College Herrick, Chad – Atkins Iberdrola Renewables Indian Hills Community College Iowa Association of Community College Presidents Iowa Central Community College Iowa Chamber Alliance Iowa Environmental Council Iowa Farm Bureau Iowa Interfaith Power and Light Iowa Lakes Community College Iowa Move to Amend Iowa Policy Project Iowa Renewable Energy Association Iowa Solar and Small Wind Energy Trade Association Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council Iowa State University Iowa Valley Community College Iowa Western Community College Iowa Wildlife Federation Iowa Wind Energy Association I-RENEW Janssen, Dan – City of Sibley Jones, Doug – Clean Line Energy Partners Kirkwood Community College Midwest Wind Resources Northeast Iowa Community College North Iowa Community College Northwest Iowa Community College Perrin, Brenda – Cherokee Progress Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility-Iowa Chapter Public Interest Research Group RENEW Energy Maintenance, LLC Southeastern Iowa Community College Southwestern Community College Stoffregen, Philip – BrownWinick Sundblad, Phil – Crosswind Energy LLC Tipton, Sheila K. – Blein McCormick, P.C. Transition Des Moines University of Iowa University of Northern Iowa Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc Western Iowa Tech Community College Wind Consulting Zinc Air Inc.
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Tags: AWEA, Farm Energy, Iowa wind, IWEA, Media Center Press Releases, Production Tax Credit, PTC, Wind Energy, Wind Jobs, wind power