AWEA CEO Denise Bode statement on today?s Perry campaign energy policy announcement

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) CEO Denise Bode released the following statement in reaction to Texas Governor Rick Perry including opposition to extended federal wind tax incentives in this presidential campaign’s energy platform.

"Governor Perry is right that ‘it is no accident’ that Texas leads the nation in wind power. What he seems to misunderstand is how much a key federal tax incentive has to do with that success.

Wind energy is creating one of the fastest-growing U.S. manufacturing sectors, growing to almost 400 factories in 2010, up from as few as 30 in 2004, as the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service recently found. This means 75,000 jobs across the US—8,000 to 9,000 in Texas.

Changing the tax code to in effect raise taxes on companies creating these American jobs would be a mistake that would cost our economy exactly the sort of manufacturing jobs we need more of today.

The stability of production tax credit has provided the foundation of wind energy’s transformation of a new manufacturing sector based on American ingenuity: wind farm has supplied more than a third of all new electric capacity in the U.S. over the past five years.

Wind turbines is ahead of schedule to produce 20% of all of America¹s electricity just 18 years from now as projected under the George W. Bush administration. At that point it will employ 500,000 Americans.

The wind energy industry is now a proven success across America, operating in 42 states. In Iowa alone — a state that now leads our nation in percentage of wind power generation, wind now provides enough power for 900,000 homes and more than 4,000 jobs.

Survey consistently show that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of clean wind energy and the Made in the USA jobs that it helps create. Wind energy received 89% public approval in a recent poll.

It is my hope that Governor Perry sees that clean, homegrown American wind energy is a market that we are winning ­ with the support of a key federal tax incentive."

What other Governors have said recently about wind energy:

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R): "The wind industry has utilized a production tax credit, which has helped the industry see steady growth this decade. I support the continued use of those tools as a way to spur investment in our communities and create sorely needed jobs."

Read more: www.kansas.com/2011/09/11/2011116/gov-sam-brownback-wind-offers.html

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R): "We cannot overlook the impact of the wind industry on economic development and jobs in Iowa," Branstad also on the record supporting congressional approval of a long-term extension of the wind energy production tax credit to give businesses looking to invest some stability and predictability.

Read more: http://qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa/branstad-wind-energy-key-to-job-creation/article_2a5734d2-de39-11e0-95f0-001cc4c002e0.html

24 Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition: "Although tax credits for wind energy have long enjoyed bipartisan support, they are scheduled to expire next year. Wind-related manufacturing will slow if the credits are not extended, and some of the tax credit’s benefit will be lost if Congress pursues a last minute extention. It is important to have consistency in policy to support the continued development of wind turbines manufacturing in the United States."

ww.awea.org/