Urgent Federal Blitz

Dear Fellow Wind Warriors,

Here is the ROADMAP to ENERGY PROSPERITY that I promised you earlier today. I truly believe that this is the year we will defeat wasteful subsidies for wind energy. Failure is not an option because if we fail, hundreds of thousands of acres will be despoiled and tens of billions of dollars wasted on this failed technology. Please ask your group to jump on this immediately because we are facing a make or break moment in DC THIS WEEK. We have a shot at a 1-2 punch to stop these mostly foreign companies from looting and pillaging our national treasury.  This is punch #1 and it needs to be a good hard sock in the kisser! Assuming we survive this payroll tax cut legislation bill, the second punch will consist of a nationwide educational tsunami that will convince both lawmakers and voters that there are cheaper, cleaner and greener solutions to our energy goals. 

Phase 1 of our game plan is simple: Make 20 phones ring off the hook in DC in the next 3 days. The wind industry lobbyists are going full tilt tomorrow and Wednesday to get a FOUR YEAR extension of the Production Tax Credit slipped into the Payroll Tax bill that is being considered by a Conference Committee. The final vote is expected to come sometime this week, possibly as early as Wednesday afternoon. We need everyone and their brother to call these committee members and tell them in no uncertain terms that they should NOT include the PTC or any other energy subsidy in this bill. Please take a moment right now to call the lawmakers listed below and tell their office staff that you OPPOSE any extension of energy subsidies.  You may further tell them that you SUPPORT HR 3308, which would end all energy subsidies (including fossil fuels) except for research and development grants in basic science. That’s it.  Really simple.  You can also fax or email them if you wish but telephone calls are the best, fastest, most secure way to know that your opinion registered. Then send this to your entire list of contacts and ask them to do the same.  And so on, and so on, and so on. We need to keep those phones ringing in DC all this week.

The aides basically just keep a running tally of the input that the Senator or Representative is getting, but if you want to go beyond the thumbs up or down level of comment, please avoid anything that can come off as NIMBY. When you talk to Democrats it may be OK to talk about how wind is victimizing innocent neighbors, is an energy tax on the poor, kills eagles and harms wildlife, etc., especially if you have personal experience with those issues.  Otherwise, it’s best to stick to the key economic issues, which are listed toward the end of this email.

Here is the list of the key committee members that we need to call. A document containing this information is also attached for your convenience. Apologies in advance for  the funky formatting but it just wouldn’t convert to plain text. If you have limited time, please call the Senators first. Please call the first number after the name and you will be connected.  The second number is the fax and the last link is their online contact form. You can also access this information on www.contactingthecongress.com. Phone is the best, with fax and email tied for second. This will be the best 10-20 minutes you have ever spent fighting wind. If you call now you may never have to sit through another local hearing or county board meeting again. Thank you for all your hard work and support in working for smart energy solutions.

Carolyn K. Gerwin

Illinois Wind Watch

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON PAYROLL TAX CUT EXTENSION

February 2012

SENATE:

Member Name    DC Phone       DC FAX Contact Form  

DEMOCRATS:

Senator Max Baucus (D- MT)      202-224-2651    202-224-9412   http://baucus.senate.gov/?p=contact   

Senator Jack Reed (D- RI)      202-224-4642   202-224-4680   http://reed.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D- MD)     202-224-4524   202-224-1651   http://cardin.senate.gov/contact/     

Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D- PA)    202-224-6324    202-228-0604   http://casey.senate.gov/contact/      

REPUBLICANS:

Senator Mike Crapo (R- ID)     202-224-6142   202-228-1375   http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm    

Senator Jon Kyl (R- AZ)        202-224-4521   202-224-2207   http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm     

Senator John Barrasso (R- WY)   202-224-6441    202-224-1724   http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseActio …

HOUSE

DEMOCRATS:

Member Name    DC Phone       DC FAX Contact Form   Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz (D - PA13)  202-225-6111   202-226-0611   http://schwartz.house.gov/issue_subscribe.shtml                                                               Representative Sandy Levin (D - MI12)  202-225-4961   202-226-1033   https://levin.house.gov/contact-me/email-me   

Representative Xavier Becerra (D - CA31)       202-225-6235   202-225-2202   http://forms.house.gov/becerra/webforms/issue_subscri …

Representative Chris Van Hollen, Jr. (D - MD08)        202-225-5341   202-225-0375   http://vanhollen.house.gov/Contact/   

Representative Henry A. Waxman (D - CA30)      202-225-3976    202-225-4099   http://waxman.house.gov/Contact/       REPUBLICANS

Representative Kevin Brady (R - TX08)  202-225-4901   202-225-5524   http://www.house.gov/brady/contact_page.html  

Representative Nan A. S. Hayworth (R - NY19)   202-225-5441   202-225-3289   https://hayworthforms.house.gov/contact

Representative Tom Reed (R - NY29)     202-225-3161   202-226-6599   https://reed.house.gov/contact-me/email-me    

Representative Dave Camp (R - MI04)    202-225-3561   202-225-9679   http://camp.house.gov/Contact/

Representative Renee L. Ellmers (R - NC02)      202-225-4531    202-225-5662   https://ellmersforms.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=58 …

Representative Tom Price (R - GA06)    202-225-4501   202-225-4656   https://tomprice.house.gov/contact-me 

Representative Fred Upton (R - MI06)   202-225-3761   202-225-4986   http://upton.house.gov/Contact/

Representative Greg Walden (R - OR02)   202-225-6730    202-225-5774   https://waldenforms.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=117 …

...>>

TALKING POINTS:

v      Industrial wind is a failed technology.  After 20 years of tax breaks and billions of dollars in giveaways, this industry still provides a lousy 2-3% of our electricity.  Even if its market share were to miraculously quintuple, it would still have such a tiny impact on our nation’s overall carbon emissions as to be laughable.  Increasing our energy prices and/or imposing higher taxes encourages our manufacturers to move their plants overseas to nations with lower environmental standards.  As a result, there is no way this industry will ever “save the planet.”  A market-driven move toward natural gas would be far more “green,” both in terms of saving money AND the planet.  Most of Europe has learned this the hard way.  Spain just ENDED subsidies for wind.

v      There is no free lunch.  American taxpayers and consumers are paying for this directly or indirectly.  Forcing American consumers and industry to bear the brunt of higher energy costs in order to support mostly foreign corporations is particularly dangerous given the current economic slowdown.  That money could be left in the hands of consumers who will stimulate our economy by buying goods they actually need.  It could be left in the control of small business owners who will expand their businesses and create real jobs.  Or it could be collected and used to retire billions of dollars’ worth of our toxic national debt.  The government should not be picking winners and losers among energy sources by letting some of them off the hook for paying taxes.  This is crony capitalism at its worst.  All energy subsidies other than true research and development should be phased out as quickly as possible.  We support HR 3308 in this regard.

v      The assertion that the PTC is a performance-based subsidy is a lie. 

o      The tax credits will be sold to huge conglomerates before the wind turbines are even built, leaving behind empty, liability-ridden shell corporations.  Meanwhile the highly profitable conglomerates who scoop up the PTCs at a discount will avoid paying taxes that should have gone into the national treasury. 

o      The wind industry has never proven that it actually reduces carbon when added to the grid.  Independent studies suggest it does not. 

v      Wind kills more jobs than it creates.  Independent studies from around the world confirm that subsidizing renewable energy results in a net loss of jobs.

v      Extending the PTC is throwing good money after bad.  Astute investors believe that the wind industry will go under due to other market forces such as the glut of cheap natural gas (which provides better, greener energy), the soft economy, the Chinese monopoly on rare earths, and overwhelming competition from Asian manufacturers.  Extending the PTC will only allow the wind companies to package and sell one last batch of highly discounted tax credits to their fat cat corporate partners.

v      We will never win “the race with China.”  China can manufacture turbines and parts cheaper than we can for the same reasons it beats us in virtually every other manufacturing business. If we are dumb enough to try to “race with China,” we will lose because they buy at wholesale prices and we buy at retail prices with money we borrow from China and other foreign investors.

v      We need comprehensive tax reform, not more piecemeal tinkering.  These PTCs will go on for 10-12 years after the subsidy is allowed to expire.  Most of the money is going to China and foreign corporations.  They PTC should be repealed now rather than allowed to do more damage to our economy. If you are thinking about using it as a bargaining chip, think again.  The country would be better served if Congress worked together to pass positive, carefully-designed, comprehensive tax reforms that will truly benefit our economy nationwide. 

The time has come to put the PTC to bed.  Please vote AGAINST any extension of the PTC and support HR 3008.  Thank you.