Anti-wind bill would hurt jobs, families’ access to clean power

“Hey man, what are you thinking? Why would you do this?” Gary Kanaby says he would ask Representative Bill Flores of Texas. The Congressman has cosponsored a bill that would eliminate a common-sense renewable energy policy and put his own constituents, like Gary, in a precarious position.

Your legislator may be considering signing on to this bill too – could you please take a moment to send in a quick note? Let your legislator know that you oppose this bill, HR 1901, that stands in the way of clean energy.

Let me tell you a bit more about Gary’s story –

Back in 2002, Gary started working in wind energy. He has seen Congress drag its heels on extending this common-sense renewable energy policy – the production tax credit, or “PTC,” several times, and has seen them allow it to expire before renewing it three times.

The trend continues today – the PTC expired on December 31st, and we need to push our legislators to renew it.

Why? Gary can tell you. He has seen the downturns in the industry when Congress has allowed this policy to expire.

“There are several blade service companies here in Texas. One of them had a big blade building business in Gainesville. But with all of the uncertainty in the industry, the business dried up a few years ago. They had to make major layoffs. Now they’re building truck parts. They had to do it to make money. It’s short-sighted to have legislation that hurts wind. Business doesn’t come back after that.”

“I work for a blade service company now. Part of our business is sending technicians to the sites of new wind projects. As they assemble the rotors, they inspect the blades, and do repairs right there on the spot. The PTC is important to us. It creates work for the future. The more turbines installed now, the more work to service them in the future.”

This bill – HR 1901 – threatens to create a repeat of the cycle of job losses, factory closures, and major decreases in the amount of new wind power available to our families. 

Please reach out to your legislator today. Urge opposition to this bill that stands in the way of our progress towards a cleaner, more affordable energy future.