Well, folks … typical of DC … there’s a last minute rush to piece together a means to spend more of your cash.  Lacking any ability to properly care for your money, politicians who fill the seats of the critical Senate Finance Committee again find themselves replacing order with chaos in their attempt to extend tax incentives to energy producers.

The committee did release a proposal yesterday and surprisingly, in spite of the Democratic Chairman and his Republican counterpart’s support, they didn’t include the 20+ year old Production Tax Credit (PTC), a subsidy which has long benefited energy’s “tin cup” stepchild – industrial wind.

One might take this as a sign that logic has taken over Congress but, do not fear, the for-profit wind industry lobby is heading to the Capitol to remind our legislators how much they contributed to the last campaign their product needs taxpayer support.  And after all, lobbyists and Congress have one thing in common, they both believe your money is their money.

This story is moving quickly and already Senator Grassley, a staunch fiscal conservative and, simultaneously, seeker of all things subsidy for his constituents, is preparing an amendment to attach to the proposal this Thursday which, if successful, will transfer even more dollars from your pocket to the pockets of the industrial wind profiteers.

Anyway, if you already know the issues and want to immediately contact your Senator to tell them “no more hand-outs for industrial wind,” here’s the Senate contact list link –  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

If you want to know a bit more, here is my quick take.  But I warn you … this story is changing rapidly so I recommend you hook up to your favorite news source and follow along.

An article in the Washington Examiner sent to me by my friends at SOAR – Save Our Allegheny Ridges, noted that yesterday’s committee proposal was bipartisan in its exclusion of the industrial wind subsidy.  The article also noted that there is bipartisan support for renewal of the PTC for wind by legislators from “breezier states in the West and Midwest” who believe a “a long-term congressional commitment” is necessary to keep this industry alive.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that the PTC, which was intended to be a temporary start-up assist but then blossomed into a twenty plus year Taxpayer-funded life-support system for the for-profit wind industry, does not, by congressional standards, qualify as “long term.”  They really don’t understand the concept of “term limits,” do they!

Orrin Hatch of Utah took the honors for the most ridiculous quote in support of wind noting that, “Like all businesses, the wind industry seeks certainty and predictability.”  The Senator perhaps fails to understand that, when it comes to electricity generation to meet a demand based market, it is the lack of “certainty and predictability” which finally dooms industrial wind.

We at Allegheny Treasures think you should contact your Senator and voice your opinion.  Whether you support the Production Tax Credit or not, you should make your opinion known.

If you’re in favor of extending a subsidy to a for-profit business which hawks a supply driven product in a demand driven market then industrial wind is for you.  If you favor sending your hard earned tax dollars to a for-profit business which has already cost US Taxpayers billions over the past 20 years and, thanks to last years extension, now obligates Taxpayers – YOU – to pay an additional $12 billion ($12,000,000,000.00) over the next 10 years, you should let your Senator know how happy you are.

As for me, enough is enough!  Money is tight and I want to see tax dollars invested in truly innovative solutions which lead us to modern and effective demand-driven electricity generators which will provide for our future energy needs and simultaneously protect our environment.

Here’s the note I sent to my Senator Rockefeller’s legislative aide on the issue:

Sir,

I am opposed to inclusion of the Production Tax Credit for Industrial Wind in any legislation.

It is well past time for this industry to succeed or fail on its own merit, having received taxpayer funding for more than twenty years.

Please insure the Senator does not allow the PCT to be included in any legislation out of committee.

Short and to the point.  Took me less than a minute.

You might consider doing the same.  After all … IT’S YOUR MONEY!

Thankfully, I didn’t have to send a note to my other Senator, Joe Manchin.  Manchin, along with Lamar Alexander and several others, recently sent a letter to the Senate Finance committee stating that we should end the taxpayer funded Production Tax Credit for industrial wind.

Again, here’s the address list link for Senators:  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Oh, yeah … about the title of this post.  I decided not to go that way after all, but I suspect I really don’t have to explain … do I?