Bennet visits composites factory, urges PTC extension

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) toured a Hexcel composites manufacturing plant in Windsor, Colo., yesterday and expressed strong support for an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) (see Bennet, Moran continue bipartisan push to extend PTC, Feb. 16).

The Hexcel plant, which employs 103 workers, is part of the growing wind power supply chain that has sprung up across the country over the past several years, opening more than 400 factories and boosting the domestic content in wind turbines installed in the U.S. from 25 percent in 2005 to more than 60 percent today.  Plant manager Steven Corbiere told the Windsor Beacon that 95 percent of the factory's output goes to a nearby turbine rotor blade manufacturing facility owned by Vestas Americas.

Said Bennet of the PTC, “There are some in Congress who think we can horse around on this tax credit because it doesn't expire until the end of the year, but businesses like this one need … stability in order to make long-term plans … We face an enormous challenge in this economy. We need to focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs, because even though they don't employ the numbers of people they once did, lots of smaller plants are still putting lots of people to work.”

There is bipartisan support in Congress and in Colorado for an extension, Bennet added: “Republicans and Democrats alike want to support this for our state.”  Bennet is also gathering signatures of Colorado residents on a petition supporting the PTC.

Related articles:

Moran visits Siemens factory, pushes PTC extension, February 22, 2012
WindTV: PTC key to wind power manufacturing jobs, February 21, 2012
Topeka Capital-Journal: Extend the PTC, February 21, 2012
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA): PTC is jobs engine conservatives should support, February 17, 2012
Bennet, Moran continue bipartisan push to extend PTC, February 16, 2012
Major U.S. consumer brands like Nike on extending the PTC: Just Do It!, February 15, 2012
Oklahoma Gov. Fallin urges conferees: Extend the PTC, February 15, 2012
Michigan worker's plea: Extend PTC, help wind power create U.S. jobs, February 13, 2012
Bipartisan letter from entire Iowa Congressional delegation urges: Extend the PTC, February 10, 2012
Senate Energy Chairman Bingaman: Act now to save clean-energy jobs, February 9, 2012
Bipartisan letter from Colorado Congressional delegation urges: Extend the PTC, February 8, 2012
Republican governors push for PTC extension; Senators express support, February 2, 2012
U.S. Chamber of Commerce joins broad range of groups endorsing PTC extension, February 1, 2012
WindTV: Wind power drives commerce in small-town America, January 24, 2012
Denver Post endorses PTC extension 'sooner rather than later', January 18, 2012
WSJ op-ed: 'Want Growth? Try Stable Tax Policy', January 5, 2012
Red State Energy, Red State Jobs, November 29, 2011
Governors' letter urges prompt extension of wind tax incentive, November 16, 2011