Coalition to 158 Members of Congress: Let the Wind PTC Expire
WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance joined five other free market groups today in sending a letter to 158 members of the 112th Congress, urging them oppose an extension of the wind Production Tax Credit that would transfer taxpayer dollars from their states to other states that mandate renewable energy. AEA President Thomas Pyle signed the letter, along with Myron Ebell of Freedom Action, Michael Needham of Heritage Action, Phil Kerpen of American Commitment, Marlo Lewis of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Al Cardenas of the American Conservative Union. The letter went to senators and representatives from 21 states whose taxpayers would be responsible for the $12 billion subsidy price tag that a one-year PTC extension would bring, though their own states do not have renewable mandates that force utility companies to purchase wind energy and thus are unlikely to receive any from the PTC.
“Despite having this generous subsidy for two decades, wind only produces 3 percent of America’s electricity. This corporate dependence on federal subsidies not only harms the taxpayers who finance the PTC, it also creates an improper incentive for wind companies to focus on obtaining lucrative subsidies rather than long-term sustainability and competitiveness,” the group wrote.
“Extending the wind PTC ensures that your constituents will continue to subsidize wind power in other states that have made political decisions to force consumers to buy more expensive and less reliable forms of energy — like wind . . . . By taking a principled stand against the PTC, you help taxpayers in your own state and ensure more cost-effective electricity generation overall. We urge you to allow this wasteful subsidy to expire, as planned, at the end of this year.”
To read the entire letter, click here.
The letter is being sent to the following United States Senators:
Shelby (AL), Sessions (AL), Murkowski (AK), Begich (AK), Pryor (AR), Boozman (AR), Rubio (FL), Nelson (FL), Chambliss (GA), Isakson (GA), Crapo (ID), Risch (ID), Lugar (IN), Coats (IN), McConnell (KY), Paul (KY), Vitter (LA), Landrieu (LA), Cochran (MS), Wicker (MS), Nelson (NE), Johanns (NE), Conrad (ND), Hoeven (ND), Inhofe (OK), Coburn (OK), Graham (SC), DeMint (SC), Johnson (SD), Thune (SD), Alexander (TN), Corker (TN), Hatch (UT), Lee (UT), Sanders (VT), Leahy (VT), Warner (VA), Webb (VA), Rockefeller (WV), Manchin (WV), Enzi (WY), and Barrasso (WY).
The letter is being sent to the following United States Congressmen:
Alabama: Bonner, Roby, Rogers, Aderholt, Brooks, Bachus, and Sewell.
Alaska: Young
Arkansas: Crawford, Griffin, Womack, and Ross.
Florida: Miller, Southerland, Brown, Crenshaw, Nugent, Stearns, Mica, Webster, Bilirakis, Young, Castor, Ross, Buchanan, Mack, Posey, Rooney, Wilson, Ros-Lehtinen, Deutch, Wasserman-Schultz, Diaz-Balart, West, Hastings, Adams, and Rivera.
Georgia: Kingston, Bishop, Westmoreland, Johnson, Lewis, Price, Woodall, A. Scott, Graves, Broun, Gingrey, Barrow, and D. Scott.
Idaho: Labrador and Simpson.
Indiana: Visclosky, Donnelly, Stutzman, Rokita, Burton, Pence, Carson, Bucshon, and Young.
Kentucky: Whitfield, Guthrie, Yarmuth, Rogers, and Chandler.
Louisiana: Scalise, Richmond, Landry, Fleming, Alexander, Cassidy, and Boustany.
Mississippi: Nunnelee, Thompson, Harper, and Palazzo.
Nebraska: Fortenberry, Terry, and Smith.
North Dakota: Berg.
Oklahoma: Sullivan, Boren, Lucas, Cole, and Lankford.
South Carolina: Scott, Wilson, Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, and Clyburn.
South Dakota: Noem.
Tennessee: Roe, Duncan, Flesichmann, DesJarlais, Cooper, Black, Blackburn, Fincher, and Cohen.
Utah: Bishop, Matheson, and Chaffetz.
Vermont: Welch.
Virginia: Wittman, Rigell, Scott, Forbes, Hurt, Goodlatte, Cantor, Moran, Griffith, Wolf, and Connolly.
West Virginia: McKinley, Capito, and Rahall.
Wyoming: Lummis.
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