[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 2 (Friday, January 4, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S20-S21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WIND ENERGY TAX CREDIT

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, today marks my 28th time here 
on the Senate floor to talk about the Production Tax Credit for wind 
energy. Twenty-seven other times I stood here--oftentimes joined by 
like-minded colleagues from around the country--to urge Congress to 
extend this vital tax credit, which has helped the wind

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industry create tens of thousands of jobs and spur tens of billions of 
dollars in investment. And Coloradans have been with me the whole way.
  Well, Mr. President, 27 must be a lucky number--because today, I am 
thrilled to use my time to thank my colleagues for making the extension 
of the PTC a reality. Earlier this week, Congress came together across 
party lines to do the right thing to assist our fragile economic 
recovery.
  Throughout my previous efforts here on the floor, I talked a lot 
about jobs. From Colorado to Kansas, Oregon and Maine and the 
Carolinas, my remarks always came back to one simple but true 
statement: the PTC equals jobs.
  These are good-paying jobs for hardworking Americans. From gearboxes 
in Georgia to wind blades in Rhode Island to towers in Colorado, the 
construction of wind turbines has invigorated an entire supply chain. 
Factories in the Midwest have been retooled to make steel components 
that are shipped to places like Iowa, where cutting edge composite 
materials are used to make state of the art blades for turbines that 
ultimately create wind farms built with labor from local construction 
workers. That's thousands of jobs across this country.
  Wind generates clean, renewable energy, which helps move our country 
toward a more secure energy future. This is clean, American energy that 
does not produce carbon dioxide pollution--and by making it here at 
home, it helps us become less reliant on foreign nations for our energy 
security.
  These wind farms are also paying dividends to towns and counties 
across America, benefitting the families who live there and the small 
businesses that operate there. The tax revenues from wind turbines have 
allowed communities to build new schools and roads, as well as provide 
other basic services. These additional sources of income have been 
especially important during the recent economic downturn, where the 
budgets of many states and rural communities have been stretched thin. 
Quite simply, wind energy jobs have a positive ripple effect wherever 
they are.
  I am relieved that after months of uncertainty as to whether or not 
the PTC would be extended, Congress has finally done the commonsense 
thing, making sure we did not lose this vital tax credit. Although it 
was my preference to have Congress act much sooner and prevent the 
thousands of layoffs that resulted from the uncertainty Congress 
created, I am pleased that we have finally acted for the good of our 
constituents.
  With the passage of the PTC, the wind industry can get back to doing 
the important work of moving America toward a clean energy future, a 
direction that will benefit middle-class American workers and ensure 
America leads the world in clean energy manufacturing, even as foreign 
competitors like China work to surpass us.
  And the final language passed by Congress will have an immediate and 
positive impact on the construction of new wind farms. This year, 
projects will be eligible to take advantage of the PTC if construction 
begins before the end of 2013, rather than racing to complete the 
project by the end of the year. This commonsense change in the law will 
encourage larger, longer-term projects over the course of the next few 
years as opposed to just in 2013, which is particularly important since 
Congress did not pass the extension until the very last minute.
  I was not alone in this fight. Coloradans motivated me to keep up the 
battle the entire time. And many of my colleagues--both Republicans and 
Democrats--joined me. In particular, I would like to thank Senator 
Grassley of Iowa--the ``father of the wind PTC''--for his efforts to 
get this done.
  Senator Baucus and Senator Bingaman have also been long-time 
champions of the PTC on the Finance Committee, and were an integral 
part of the fight to extend it. My good friend and colleague from 
Colorado Senator Bennet has also been a strong supporter of the PTC, 
joining me in speeches, letters, and legislation. Senator Moran of 
Kansas has been right there with us as well.
  And many more members from both sides of the aisle and both sides of 
the Capitol supported these efforts. The broadly bipartisan and 
bicameral group was driven by a mutual commitment to creating jobs, 
simultaneously improving our economy and economic competitiveness while 
moving us toward a more secure energy future.
  Despite the importance of the wind PTC extension, there is still much 
more work to do. This extension only lasts until the end of 2013. So, 
although we might want to take a breather, we cannot. Instead, we must 
begin work today on a path forward that will give the wind industry 
much-needed certainty over the long term. Without certainty, businesses 
cannot do the long-term planning that is necessary to robustly grow and 
add good-paying American jobs. And, this time, we cannot wait until the 
last minute to do it. We must work together to find a plan that allows 
this industry to reach maturity and thrive while also being fiscally 
responsible. Yes, that means a gradual phase-out of the wind PTC in the 
coming years--but my goal is to get Congress to also work together on 
comprehensive energy legislation that creates long-term certainty for 
all energy sources. I strongly believe that any national energy policy 
we develop should reflect the success Colorado has had as an all-of-
the-above energy State.
  Again, I want to thank my colleagues who worked alongside me to push 
the wind PTC extension over the finish line. This is hugely important 
to maintaining American jobs, manufacturing prowess, and energy 
security. It's a win for Colorado and it's a win for us all.

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