On the recordSeptember 12, 2012
I join my colleagues in the Senate to highlight an important issue to Iowa, the wind production tax credit. It expires this year, as has been mentioned, and must be extended immediately. Inaction has already led to job losses in Iowa and threatens thousands of more jobs in our State. The PTC actually has its roots in Iowa and bipartisanship. Senator Grassley worked for its creation, and it has long had bipartisanship support. Last month, the Senate passed a bipartisanship package that included the wind credit. It's past time for the House to act. Iowa is the second-largest producer of wind energy, and turbine manufacturing involves about 200 companies and 6,000 good paying jobs for Iowans. As we struggle to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, Congress cannot play games with people's jobs and pull the rug out from an industry employing thousands. Congress must extend the wind credit now before more jobs are lost. ____________________
