A new website called SaveUSAWindJobs launched by the American Wind Energy Association aims at involving Americans with wind power and put pressure on government to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC), wind power’s key federal tax incentive.
There has been a huge growth in the wind power manufacturing sector, which currently provides 75,000 jobs. It is estimated the sector could create another 500,000 jobs in the next 20 years. But without fiscal support it may not happen.
Past experience showed than when PTC was allowed to expire, wind installations dropped between 73 and 93 per cent. The website provides detailed information on this issue, including a visual depiction of what it calls a “preventable boom-bust cycle”. It also features a 90-second video explaining how wind energy means jobs, and how the PTC is a key driver of job creation.
“The SaveUSAWindJobs website is a powerful tool for the overwhelming majority of Americans who say they want more wind power,” said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. “The need for a PTC extension is urgent. I ask everyone who supports more clean, homegrown wind power and more American manufacturing jobs to engage their Members of Congress by tapping into this valuable resource.”
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
