Tag Archives: Republican

Wind Energy Information


by Aaron Severn
Director, Grassroots and Federal Legislative Affairs
American Wind Energy Association

 

I wanted to loop you in on the latest updates on American wind power.  The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released its Annual Market Report for 2013, as well as its First Quarter 2014 Market Report.

So what’s new?

The U.S. wind industry did not install much wind power capacity in 2013, reflecting the impact of the policy uncertainty that the wind industry faced throughout 2012

The numbers were small:

  • 1,087 megawatts (MW) installed in 2013, compared to 13,131 in 2012 – a 92% drop in new capacity
  • Corresponding drop in investment, $2 billion into the US economy in 2013,  compared to $25 billion in 2012
  • Loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs – ending the year with 50,500 total wind industry jobs, as compared to 80,700 jobs at the end of 2012

In total, though, wind power is making impressive contributions to the U.S. electricity supply:

  • Wind now provides over 4% of our electricity nationally
  • Iowa and South Dakota get over 25% of their electricity from wind power; nine states get more than 10% and six states get more than 15% of their electricity from wind power

As you may recall, Congress allowed the PTC to expire at the end of 2012.  Then, our legislators extended the credit in early January 2013, allowing projects that started construction by the end of 2013 to qualify for the credit (rather than requiring that they be operational by the end of 2013, as  required in the past).  The uncertainty throughout 2012 caused wind project development to come to a halt, and manufacturing orders to cease, resulting in little development and significant job loss as noted above.

How’s this year looking so far?

The PTC extension in 2013 allowed developers to put plans back in motion.  As a result, 2014 is off to a great start:

  • Over 13,000 MW of wind power under construction – more than any other time in history – and including over 95 projects across 21 states
  • 214 MW of wind power installed so far — more than in the first three quarters of 2013
  • Utility companies and corporate purchasers continue to announce agreements to purchase wind power – they announced 8,000 MW of power purchase agreements in 2013, and about another 1,000 MW so far this year  

Is there a catch?

Yes – federal policy for the wind energy industry is still uncertain.  The PTC expired again, at the end of 2013.  Without an extension, the wind industry is looking at the prospect of near-term downturns in project development, and job layoffs as well.

The Senate Finance Committee has acted to extend the PTC, and a credit that developers can choose instead of the PTC, the investment tax credit (ITC).  They extended these provisions as part of the EXPIRE Act in early April.  The bill moves to the Senate floor for consideration next, and we will keep you updated on that front.  It will be important to weigh in with your Senators about the importance of extending the PTC through the EXPIRE Act.

Thanks, as always, for your support.  I encourage you to check out these resources if you’re interested in more information:

Sincerely,
Aaron

Aaron Severn
Director, Grassroots and Federal Legislative Affairs
American Wind Energy Association

 

Jobs … Coming from Wind ~ a repost


Campaign 2016 …


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2016 Senate Map

Learn more about how we’ll take back the Senate in 2016.

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let the madness of March commence …&some News


rain wind and more rain…more wind …

just another rant …

What worried me before the mid-term elections was the possibility that people who have no experience, civility, common sense or clarity may get on the floor of Congress and really ruin what used to be a great country if they “take back their country.” I guess you can plug in whatever that means for you though it sounds like an awful way to live if you are a minority on any level. Now, 7.5 yrs. later you would think, maybe people have experienced enough bs and now understand that elections have consequences. The true answer is no, not many constituents in red states have been laughing, listening or have learned  from what has occurred on the floor of Congress .

The grim reality is that a vote for Republicans is a vote against your own best interest people.

If you live under a Republican controlled state, you have to ask yourself what have Republicans really done for you lately especially if you have family friends who are Federal Employees…  co-workers Teachers, Cops, Emts, Firefighters. Honestly, i don’t get it. The Republican mission remains unchanged and is as clear as the nose on your face and what you are hearing right now is only about winning the primary, you cannot be telling me Republicans can or intend to do a 360 or 180 if they win. The mission of Republicans in congress has been to seek out and privatize public service jobs or destroy them while dismantling the ACA by any means necessary. Unfortunately, the “thing” (Women) they have chosen to use as a Political football reared its ugly head again, a need to shutdoen homeland security, EPA,Education. republicans hate immigration reform while the XXL pipeline got vetoed by POTUS, rumors are it may still get built anyway and that boggles my brain.

In 2010, Republican Governors told their constituents their focus was on JObs Jobs Jobs though as time passed it was clear the mission included eliminating unions, defunding education and every social service program available while eliminating Working Families at the same time. This was not just a rude awakening it was a slap in the face, which brought out that sleeping giant that gained speed and culminated into millions of folks fighting back voting POTUS back for a second term. Now, in this 2016 year, the 21st Century the Party of No wants to roll back the clock, stir blue collar workers into a froth with instantiated anger that they, their wives and neighbors will march into that voting booth and vote based on everything other than who really is qualified to be President of the United States . The results from the midterm elections should have been a warning shot; their votes will and have affected our children, our lives, and now a trump president could ruin our future for years to come.  Think of the possibilities, if voters put the Democratic Party back in charge.  There will still be differences of opinion but changing out the extreme and partisan Party for a Congress that might be willing to work together for the greater good, rids America of Citizens United, makes sure that equality in all its forms finally reigns and that income inequality gap starts to fall away. The choice is an obvious one to me as this group of Republican lawmakers on the local State and Federal level decidedly agreed to take an extreme hard right. The Political Party of no made the unseemly choice to sign a pledge to stick by Grover  Norquist! it hurts all Americans, supports Paul Ryan’s farst of a budget that will change Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security as we know it. We cannot afford to give power to Rep.Ryan and  McConnell power that has in my opinion been abused  misused far more than their constituents understand or accept.  Mr. McConnell’s famous statement, that his job, his only goal was and still is to make President Obama a one term President will go down in history, and not in a good way. President Barack Obama has done more for the middle class and poor on his own while in office than those running states, let alone a Congress that has been an obstacle on so many levels during his Great 2Terms in office

Voting is a Right NOT a Privilege ….

below is just one of many stories of brave people who took a stand for us, Annie took a stand for my right to vote … NOW, we all have to Stand Up ! We will NOT let them turn back the Voting Clock !

Annie Lee Cooper

The Selma Times-Journal reports:Annie Lee Cooper, a civil rights hero, died Wednesday afternoon at Vaughan Regional Medical Center. She was 100 years old.

Cooper became known worldwide in 1965 for a confrontation with Sheriff James G. Clark.

Historian David J. Garrow tells the story in his book, “Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” which was released in the 1970s by Yale University Press.

According to Garrow’s documented version, Cooper had stood in line for hours outside the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote. Clark ordered the 224-pound, 54-year-old African-American woman to go home. Cooper clamed he poked her in the back of the neck with either a billy club or a cattle prod. Cooper turned and delivered a right hook to the sheriff’s jaw. He dropped to the ground. — Read the whole story –> Annie Lee Cooper, civil rights legend, dies | The Selma Times?Journal

 

Martin Luther King


 

 

*****

Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“I have a dream…to go to war?!”

Watch the Video | Send To A Friend   

Video is below …

http://act.bravenewfilms.org/go/472?akid=1417.1058794.hi707v&t=1

The Pentagon sank to a new low this week in their attempt to sell the Afghanistan War to the American people. At their Martin Luther King, Jr., Day observance, a Pentagon official actually claimed that if King were alive today, he might support the war.

This is simply not true.  http://act.bravenewfilms.org/go/472?akid=1417.1058794.hi707v&t=4  <<<As shown in our new video, Dr. King could not have been more clear in his 1967 speech denouncing the Vietnam War:

“A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, “This way of settling differences is not just. …A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

More than 10,000 people died in the Afghanistan War last year alone. This year, the government plans to spend $107 billion on the war. We believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would repeat his admonition to U.S. policymakers on their responsibility:

“I speak as one who loves America…The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a national hero who called on us to have the moral courage to stop another war that wasn’t making us safer and that wasn’t worth the cost. Help us fight the Pentagon lies. Spread the truth by sharing this video with your family and friends.

Sincerely,

Derrick Crowe, Robert Greenwald

and the Brave New Foundation team

P.S. If you haven’t done so already, please join Rethink Afghanistan on Facebook and Twitter.

Donate today to help bring an end to this atrocious war that’s not making us any safer.  click on link below

http://bnf.actionkit.com/go/rethink/375?akid=1417.1058794.hi707v&t=9