Mitt Romney confirms he would end US wind power subsidies

[heidimoose134]

Mitt Romney confirms he would end US wind power subsidies

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama draw up battle lines over US wind farm tax credits

• James Murray for BusinessGreen, part of the Guardian Environment Network
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 2 August 2012 06.09 EDT

Republican US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he would let wind power tax credits expire. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mitt Romney looks set to declare war on America's wind energy industry, further emphasising the dividing line between the presumptive Republican presidential candidate and President Barack Obama on energy issues.

Romney's campaign confirmed this week he wants to end long-standing tax credits for wind farm projects when the incentives come up for review later this year.

The pledge means the popular production tax credits (PTCs) – which have helped drive a surge in new wind energy investment in the US, making it the second largest wind energy market in the world after China – would be allowed to expire at the end of this year if the Republicans secure the White House in November.

Shawn McCoy, a spokesman for Romney's Iowa campaign, told the Des Moines Register earlier this week that Romney would "allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles, and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits".

He added that wind energy would still be allowed to "thrive wherever it is economically competitive, and wherever private sector competitors with far more experience than the president believe the investment will produce results".

Romney's campaign later confirmed he planned to allow the tax credits to lapse, stressing that he favours an energy policy environment where technology-specific incentives are removed.

However, green groups, renewable energy industry insiders, and Democrats were all quick to point out that Romney's desire for a level playing field on energy policy does not extend to oil and gas, where he has pledged to retain up to $40bn of subsidies and tax breaks that President Obama wants to see phased out.

Romney also faces accusations he has flip-flopped on clean energy policy, given that as governor of Massachusetts between 2003 and 2007 he talked up the potential for renewable energy and approved state support packages for a number of clean tech firms.

The latest pledge to roll back support for the wind energy sector is likely to appeal to the GOP's base, but it will also infuriate a number of Republicans in states where the wind industry is booming.

In June, 16 Republicans in Congress wrote to the GOP leaders in the House of Representatives urging them to approve an immediate extension of the PTC scheme as a means of driving investment and job creation.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is now warning that a number of projects are already slowing down and undertaking lay-offs as developers wait to find out if the PTC will be extended beyond the end of the year.

"The PTC is an example of effective, job-creating tax policy, but with expiration looming at the end of the year, 37,000 good American jobs are in peril," said AWEA chief executive Denise Bode in a statement. "That is why Congress must act now to save USA wind jobs and keep this success story moving forward."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/aug/02/mitt-romney-end-us-wind-subsidies?fb=optOut

[mehamil1]

Huge sums of money are thrown in all sorts of directions because the people who are running this country are assholes and greedy and they're puppets and egotistical. Those who are controlling them are sociopaths. So don't tell me we can't "afford" it. What's lacking here is the will, not the resources. 

It would not surprise me if technology to explore the stars has been deleloped but is being suppressed for whatever reason. Too much money is made off of fossil fuels. It's not going away until we the people gather enough energy to put a stop to the assholes who are ruining this entire planet all for the sake of profit and greed. I don't buy the "broke" nonsense. What is lacking is the will. We could solve all our problems tomorrow if we really wanted to. But we don't. Mainly because everyone disagrees on what those problems are. It's the will, not the resources. 

Also, what the hell is with the interest in birds? You and I both know what oil drilling does animal populations (and human populations as well). Coal mining has destroyed entire ecosystems and wiped out whole species. So what's with the interest in the birds? I'm concerned about the birds too, but the destruction caused by oil and coal mining is insane. 

Quoting 29again:

Have you not noticed/read that many people agree that renewable energy is something we need to DEVELOP.  You have even said so.  Right now, we cannot afford financially to throw huge sums of money into things that might someday work.  This country is flat-ass broke, and programs like this one do nothing to help in any way.  Whoever is interested in this field will continue to do the research and develop the technology so that the general public can use it in an efficient manner.  But in the meantime, it is completely irresponsible of the government to fund all these companies into bankruptcy.   Not to mention how many birds this particular technology kills as it is right now. 

Quoting mehamil1:

I appreciate your invitation to speak but renewable energy is not my area of expertise. I would rather have you invite an engineer who specializes in developing this technology to speak on it. 

All I'm saying is that this technology needs to be developed if we want to survive as a species on this planet. Even if we humans manage to get our act together, something else might kill us off as a species. Or maybe aliens. I don't know. But if we don't stop destroying the earth she's gonna fight back. She already is. It's in our best interest to get off fossil fuels and develop something less destructive. Wind turbines are not perfect. But I think they are better than drilling deep into the earth for oil. That causes (and has caused) a lot of destruction. 100 years worth of destruction. Also coal mining and natural gas and everything else. 

[momof31995]

one word "Solyndra"

[jcrew6]

Quoting Carpy:

He wants to end artificially propping the the industry up. They would still get all the same tax breaks every other business can declare

Exactly.

[Meadowchik]

He added that wind energy would still be allowed to "thrive wherever it is economically competitive, and wherever private sector competitors with far more experience than the president believe the investment will produce results".

-from article