On the heels of his visit to Pueblo, Colo., President Barack Obama re-emphasized his support for wind energy in Iowa, which ranks second in the nation in wind power capacity.
Again, Obama criticized his opponent, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for his stance on the PTC.
"Right now, homegrown energy - things like wind energy, [which is] creating new jobs all across states like Iowa - and Gov. Romney wants to end tax credits for wind energy producers," Obama said. “America now produces twice as much electricity from wind as we did before I took office. We’ve doubled the amount of electricity we’re producing with wind.”
The president continued by stressing a reality with which the wind industry is already painfully familiar.
“The wind industry supports about 7,000 jobs in Iowa,” Obama said. “Without these wind energy tax credits, a whole lot of these jobs would be at risk - 37,000 jobs across this country would be at risk.”
The PTC has received widespread bipartisan support throughout the country, especially in Iowa. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was the author of the first-ever wind energy PTC legislation and has repeatedly pushed for the tax credit’s renewal.
Likewise, Rep. Tom Latham - also a Republican - slammed Romney last month for his decision not to support the PTC.
“I’m disappointed that the statement by Gov. Romney’s spokesperson shows a lack of full understanding of how important the wind energy tax credit is for Iowa and our nation,” he said in July. “It’s the wrong decision. Wind energy represents one of the most innovative and exciting sectors of Iowa’s economy.”
