[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19093-19094]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  WIND PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT EXTENSION

  (Mr. STENHOLM asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, as a long-time independent voice of the 
people of west Texas, I rise to urge my colleagues in Congress to move 
forward with meaningful reforms to our national energy policy.
  Driving across the long west Texas highways, one cannot help but 
notice the towering wind farms that have cropped up in the area I 
represent.

                              {time}  1130

  Unfortunately, further wind energy development is completely halted 
because Congress has yet to extend the production tax credit for 
renewable sources of energy.
  We had the opportunity to extend the credits with the 2002 energy 
bill and now the latest energy bill has stalled in Congress. Because of 
unwillingness to move back to the negotiating table, my constituents 
are forced to forgo further wind energy development in their counties. 
This means fewer jobs are created in the area. Counties and schools 
have to give up additional tax revenue and the U.S. is put further 
behind in our goal to produce more renewable energy.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for folks in Congress to get serious about 
energy in America and immediately pass the extension for the Wind 
Energy Production Tax Credit. It is the economically

[[Page 19094]]

 and environmentally responsible thing to do.

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