By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--October 8, 2014
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One “temporary” measure — the wind-energy production tax credit (PTC) — has received eight “temporary” extensions since 1992 and now backers want to add several years more. After 20 years of soaking taxpayers for billions of dollars in subsidies and raising electric bills, it’s overdue for the PTC to end. It expired at the end of 2013, yet some lawmakers want to give it new life, plus an additional $18 billion, during the pos-telection lame-duck session of Congress. Typically, those getting the money boast of being job creators or “green energy” saviors who will save our planet from roasting owing to global warming. They omit that the job numbers are inflated, often temporary and often filled by overseas vendors. They also omit that taxpayers are paying twice — through taxes and through higher electric bills. Green energy is not cheap and not affordable. If it were, green energy would not need subsidies. To maximize chances of backroom deals and minimize public accountability, the fate of the PTC will be decided as part of a tax package in the lame-duck Congress, when wheeling, dealing and political horse-trading are at their worst. That’s because Congress will have two years before facing the voters again. Departing senators and House members won’t have to face voters at all.This is such a crock and always has been. If wind power is a viable source of energy, then it can perform on the open market. As it is, those in the energy industry as well as in Washington know it's not economically viable because the technology simply hasn't been developed to the point where wind power can provide enough to the grid to pay for itself. Ernest quotes Warren Buffett as admitting the obvious, that developing wind farms only makes sense if you can get a tax credit for it. I join my friend in urging you to contact Republican leaders in the House to tell them to kill this thing. I'm all for wind power - if it can sustain itself economically on the free market. Until then, not one more red cent from the taxpayers.
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Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain
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