On the recordJuly 17, 2012
for several weeks now I have spoken on the Senate floor, urging my colleagues of both parties to extend the wind production tax credit or, as it is known, the PTC. The Presiding Officer has had an opportunity to listen to me on a number of occasions. I thank him for his interest and support. I am here again this morning to continue my work because I do not want to lose one more American job because of our failure, Congress's failure, to act. I also want to assure, as I know the Presiding Officer does, that we, the United States, remain competitive in the global clean energy economy. Today, I wish to talk specifically about the PTC's impact on the State of Utah, one of America's fastest growing wind energy producers. Similar to other Western States, including my home State of Colorado, Utah's geography and climate make it an ideal location for wind production. It is estimated that if fully utilized, Utah's wind resources could provide up to 132 percent of the current electricity needs. Think about that, the entire State's electricity needs could be met by wind power alone. If we look at the map of Utah that is displayed here, we will see that the largest wind projects are located in Beaver and Millard Counties, which are in western Utah. In those two counties, the first wind corporation has constructed the Milford Wind Project.…
