Wind support

To the editor:

Congratulations to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas for requesting an extension of the wind energy production tax credit that expires at the end of 2012. In a late February letter sent to Senate majority and minority leaders, he and 11 colleagues appealed for a stable tax environment in which the wind industry can operate and develop.

I personally believe we must move toward renewable energy sources. I honestly feel a fee on carbon-based fuels is the quickest way to do so, but with private interests dominating legislative action on carbon fuels, it is probably going to take baby steps. Until we, the public, demand action on carbon, I think we have to let wind and solar incubate in the marketplace. 

This bipartisan effort lead by Moran, a Republican, and Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, is encouraging. In their letter they suggest that failure to extend the production tax credit could destabilize the industry before it can demonstrate cost competitiveness. With 400 wind turbine manufacturing facilities in the U.S., tens of thousands of jobs are on the line.  Stability will set a path for the wind industry to move toward a market-based system.