Kerry, Brown win praise for bipartisan support of PTC extension

U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) have won praise from Walter Frick at the Boston tech blog BostInno for joining 10 other Senators from both parties in a letter supporting extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

In a post entitled In Rare Show of Bipartisanship, Kerry & Brown Agree It’d Be Stupid to Raise Taxes on Wind Energy, Frick wrote in part, “Bipartisanship is hard to come by in Washington these days. And clean energy has sadly become just another partisan issue over the last two years. So when Senator Scott Brown, a Republican, and Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, are in agreement on clean energy policy you know it’s a big deal.”

While wind is accounting for a significant share of new electric generating capacity (power plants) installed in the U.S. each year, its percentage of total U.S. electricity generated remains small, Frick said, arguing that the clean energy industry needs policy support to continue expanding.

A House bill seeking to extend the PTC has 72 cosponsors, including 18 Republicans. This legislation has received the endorsement of a broad coalition of more than 370 members, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Western Governors’ Association. A PTC extension also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the bipartisan Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition, which includes 23 Republican and Democratic Governors from across the U.S.

Further endorsements of the wind energy production tax credit.

Related articles:

Wichita Eagle editorial blog endorses PTC extension, February 28, 2012
Daily Oklahoman: PTC extension “makes sense,” February 27, 2012
Bipartisan group of Illinois Representatives supports PTC extension, February 24, 2012
Kansas City Star backs PTC extension, praises Brownback, Moran, February 23, 2012
Bennet visits composites factory, urges PTC extension, February 23, 2012
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

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