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37,000 jobs at risk if wind energy tax credits expire, backers say

LA Times -- Supporters of a bipartisan effort to protect the American wind energy industry say that U.S. 37,000 jobs will be at risk this year if Congress fails to extend the production tax credits that have been vital to wind power development.

The call for Congress to pass HR 3307, the American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act, was made during a teleconference hosted by three members of Congress, the American Wind Energy Assn. and TPI Composites, a Newton, Iowa-based wind blade manufacturer.

HR 3307 is sponsored by Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.). The bill has 93 co-sponsors.

The AWEA said that production tax credits have helped developers secure vital private financing for wind projects and have also helped bring those projects to completion.

"Wind power has truly been an

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Submitted Apr 25, 2012 By: angel4me

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52MPG Champion Author Dayton Posts:7,397 Points:1,768,430 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 7:57:04 PM Ignore 52MPG Report Abuse If the company cannot survive without tax credits then let it die.
Eliano Champion Author Baltimore Posts:1,412 Points:388,200 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 6:35:59 PM Ignore Eliano Report Abuse no subsidies
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:9,159 Points:778,875 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 6:10:53 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse Somebody also needs to define at risk in this situation.
apiergallini Veteran Author North Carolina Posts:389 Points:249,955 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 2:11:45 PM Ignore apiergallini Report Abuse @drpepperTX Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't have a military. What I am saying is that, compared to what we each spend per year on defense, what we each spend per year on wind energy, even giving you generous benefits of the doubt on the amounts, is very minor, and also helps ensure we have clean air to breathe, and reduces the need for new power plants, which are very costly. Also, if you think about it, what happens when those 37,000 people lose their jobs? They try to get new jobs, right? In the meantime, at least some of them will collect unemployment benefits. Regardless, they'll have to find jobs in other industries, right? Well, what happens when you add 37,000 workers to an industry? It depresses wages. It's supply and demand. More workers, and the same number of jobs, means employers can pay less, because if you aren't willing to work for less, they'll find someone else who's unemployed and is willing to work for that amount. Obviously, it's unlikely that all 37,000 workers would go into the same industry, but if large groups of them all have the same skill sets, then those sub-groups probably are likely to be competing for the same jobs, with each other, and with anyone else either already in or trying to get into that field. You can't just think about something in isolation, because things don't work like that. Maybe you, personally, won't be affected. Maybe you won't lose your job to someone who is willing to work for less. But maybe it will take you longer to get a promotion or raise because of it. If not you, then maybe your brother or sister, son or daughter, friend or neighbor. 37,000 jobs isn't a huge number, but it's not insignificant, either.
crep1291 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:2,637 Points:486,190 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 11:15:49 AM Ignore crep1291 Report Abuse We should use the same multipliers the oil industry uses. After all, that stripper the oil industry so readily includes in its statistics caters just as well to wind workers. So 37,000 workers actually means over 1M workers in the next 7 years.
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:9,159 Points:778,875 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 9:57:38 AM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse apiergallini, "Compare that to the $671 billion DOD budget for 2012, costing $2,236.67/yr/taxpayer" ============================ BUT, defense of the country is the number one obligation of our government to the people and the intent of the founders.
ClarkSC Champion Author South Carolina Posts:3,219 Points:1,039,105 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 6:26:08 AM Ignore ClarkSC Report Abuse Let them expire.
apiergallini Veteran Author North Carolina Posts:389 Points:249,955 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 1:14:43 AM Ignore apiergallini Report Abuse @kkimes lol! Funny how so many on here are like, "We need those (2,200) jobs; build the XL!" But when there are 37,000 jobs on the line for green jobs, then it's too bad, so sad. @johnnyg1200 True, we could figure out how much each job is costing taxpayers, but perhaps a more relevant number would be how much the 37,000 jobs, total, are costing each taxpayer. Even giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that each job costs an average of $270,000, spread out over 300,000,000 population, that works out to $33.30 per taxpayer, per year. Or $2.755/mo/taxpayer. And that's assuming that the government is paying/subsidizing the full salary of each and every employee, which is almost certainly not the case. Compare that to the $671 billion DOD budget for 2012, costing $2,236.67/yr/taxpayer @TomT2Lee Do you feel the same about eliminating subsidies for oil companies as well? @GT3186 No, they're not government jobs, not even by your distorted definition. If someone makes $10/hr, and the government pays $1/hr, with the company paying the other $9/hr, then the job is government subsidized. If the government is paying the full $10/hr, then it's fair to call it a government job. I seriously doubt the government is footing the full bill for each and every employee.
Rich1430 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:764 Points:277,500 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 1:12:48 AM Ignore Rich1430 Report Abuse I agree that the "wind farm" source of energy is unreliable. How often do you during the course of a day, a week, a month and a year get wind strong enough to turn those blades to produce energy. The answer is:NOT OFTEN. Some "wind farms" I think even have electric motors to run them if there is not a strong enough wind to turn the blades to produce energy. Worse yet who will get their power back on quicker after a tornado, earthquake or hurricane knocks the power out and or destroys a "wind farm"? Is this a good and reliable energy source? Answer in one word:NO.
johnnyg1200 Champion Author St. Louis Posts:4,432 Points:672,385 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 12:33:18 AM Ignore johnnyg1200 Report Abuse I don’t care if you count them as government jobs or not. When they brought the issue of jobs into the equation you have to ask if this is a wise use of limited tax payer money just to keep a few jobs? OK I will admit that some don’t think there is a limit to the amount of funds you can suck out of the tax payer but is this a wise use of them???
SilverDodge2000 Champion Author Spokane Posts:1,043 Points:191,480 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 12:33:16 AM Ignore SilverDodge2000 Report Abuse The government should not be supporting this type of thing, to include the oil companies and solar panel people. If the jobs go away, well that's the way the wind blows.
Meowmy Champion Author Florida Posts:1,293 Points:354,505 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Apr 26, 2012 12:09:51 AM Ignore Meowmy Report Abuse And their jobs outlook is 'brighter'?
johnd900 Veteran Author Massachusetts Posts:475 Points:192,305 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 11:42:10 PM Ignore johnd900 Report Abuse Unreliable energy source. Let these gov't jobs go, more tax payer funds used in the wrong places. I'd rather see nuke all day long. Some day wind will be ready for prime time but it's just not there yet.
JohnofGB Champion Author Flint Posts:5,561 Points:1,123,895 Joined:Feb 2010	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 11:27:08 PM Ignore JohnofGB Report Abuse Are these the same guys that backed the 2 bankrupt solar firms that used taxpayer dollars?????
Jeeputtputt Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,002 Points:677,465 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 11:05:00 PM Ignore Jeeputtputt Report Abuse why\?
ktbaeohana Champion Author Las Vegas Posts:2,412 Points:442,125 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 11:00:14 PM Ignore ktbaeohana Report Abuse Not good news.
aquarinut Champion Author British Columbia Posts:1,630 Points:444,595 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 10:49:47 PM Ignore aquarinut Report Abuse Have to agree with GT3186 and johnnyg1200 as well! And as johnnyg1200 points out.... I wonder just how much money 37,000 jobs is actually costing the taxpayer??
tjc09f Veteran Author Tallahassee Posts:477 Points:693,725 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 10:27:30 PM Ignore tjc09f Report Abuse That sucks
johntxx Champion Author Texas Posts:2,943 Points:644,020 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 10:15:38 PM Ignore johntxx Report Abuse Some good posts from GT3186 and johnnyg1200. How much are these "government" jobs costing the taxpayer?
CVA19 Champion Author Salem Posts:2,393 Points:632,850 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 8:35:15 PM Ignore CVA19 Report Abuse So, what we are saying here is that these 37,000 jobs are really "government" jobs, because it is the taxpayers that are keeping them employed.
race2IT Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:1,790 Points:738,400 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 8:30:22 PM Ignore race2IT Report Abuse Another one bite the dust.
LEGION57 Champion Author South Carolina Posts:1,676 Points:283,110 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 8:26:37 PM Ignore LEGION57 Report Abuse Lies
Nicoalbum Champion Author Ottawa Posts:6,167 Points:1,216,725 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:40:01 PM Ignore Nicoalbum Report Abuse Gone with the wind
cmmattia Champion Author Long Island Posts:2,143 Points:419,285 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:25:43 PM Ignore cmmattia Report Abuse we need to add jobs not subtract..... please !!!
cmmattia Champion Author Long Island Posts:2,143 Points:419,285 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:25:19 PM Ignore cmmattia Report Abuse we need to add jobs not subtract..... please !!!
bandannaman Champion Author New Jersey Posts:1,849 Points:365,610 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:19:31 PM Ignore bandannaman Report Abuse Yipes.
TomT2Lee Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:5,471 Points:1,623,885 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:17:14 PM Ignore TomT2Lee Report Abuse Good post johnnyg1200. The time is decades past for the pillage of tax payer money to stop.
johnnyg1200 Champion Author St. Louis Posts:4,432 Points:672,385 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:14:56 PM Ignore johnnyg1200 Report Abuse The Los Angeles Times left out one very important part of the story either through incompetence or in an effort to hide a potentially inconvenient truth. Just how much are the subsidies costing the tax payer? If we had that number we could divide that by the number of jobs 37,000. We would know roughly how much each job was costing the tax payer. By the way I have to question how that number was reached. If you subtract the 5000 jobs in California you would need about 650 jobs in every remaining state. If we had the bill to the tax payer we could get a rough idea of what each job is costing the tax payer. We may not like that. Just for example if we are only paying half a billion dollars on this it come to over $135,000 a job. I have a feeling that it’s more than double that though. [Edited by: johnnyg1200 at 4/25/2012 7:20:46 PM EST]
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:9,159 Points:778,875 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:12:23 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse "Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that the uncertainty over the production tax credit over the years has been discouraging for many. He predicted an exodus from the wind energy industry if the bill isn't passed soon. The tax credits debuted in 1992. Since then, there have been years in which they were extended and other years in which they weren't. "How many times can you be turned on and turned off before you decide to find another way to make a living?" King said." Oooooh, what a dilemma!
buckets42 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:1,690 Points:329,550 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 6:06:57 PM Ignore buckets42 Report Abuse Woops.
eomc17 Champion Author Tucson Posts:1,843 Points:135,615 Joined:Mar 2007	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:59:41 PM Ignore eomc17 Report Abuse I remember dave reichert as an insensitive job killer, glad I don't live in WA anymore.
djwhit Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,147 Points:1,235,180 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:58:59 PM Ignore djwhit Report Abuse GO WIND ENERGY............
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:35,329 Points:2,399,070 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:52:54 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse more government employees suckin wind out of taxpayers pockets........... [Edited by: humblepie at 4/25/2012 5:53:44 PM EST]
Dphillips720 Champion Author Michigan Posts:1,417 Points:550,600 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:15:10 PM Ignore Dphillips720 Report Abuse Propaganda
Lugi1967 Champion Author Ohio Posts:4,916 Points:1,028,685 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:14:19 PM Ignore Lugi1967 Report Abuse Long term subsidies have to end sometime
mikespipe Champion Author New York Posts:9,313 Points:1,846,605 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 4:11:32 PM Ignore mikespipe Report Abuse this on again off again practice of funding solar and wind is giving a huge competitive advantage to country's like china and killing our industries . And alternatives like solar and wind will be the leaders in energy production once we wake up and realize that we have bankruped our economy by sending our money and jobs overseas .
SUPPER Champion Author San Bernardino Posts:2,568 Points:1,314,965 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 3:41:39 PM Ignore SUPPER Report Abuse wow
kkimes Champion Author Illinois Posts:1,668 Points:1,530,920 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 3:37:20 PM Ignore kkimes Report Abuse "Translation: 37,000 people working at jobs in industries that make no economic sense will have to seek work in industries that do unless the taxpayers continue to reach into their pockets to pay their salaries." Well, if they are lucky, they can get jobs building the XL Pipeline which makes no economic sense either but at least it will send all the profits to Canada.
dsaine Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,150 Points:659,220 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 3:33:33 PM Ignore dsaine Report Abuse Remember to vote in november.
fracknsave Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:1,666 Points:58,000 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 3:30:35 PM Ignore fracknsave Report Abuse Getting inside the mind of a greenie: We have to subsidize this industry or it will die, and once subsidized the public will be subject to pay a renewable energy surcharge(s) on their monthly electric bills to boot. Priceless!
doggod Champion Author Anchorage Posts:2,983 Points:768,085 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2012 3:22:58 PM Ignore doggod Report Abuse Translation: 37,000 people working at jobs in industries that make no economic sense will have to seek work in industries that do unless the taxpayers continue to reach into their pockets to pay their salaries. Sure, why not. Take money from single moms working two jobs to support their families and give it to politically-connected fat cats who know how to ride a publicity train fueled by starry-eyed greenies. That's the new American Way.