Our Technology Is Not Economic -- Do We Invest in R&D, or Lobbying?
Lobbying of course! Silly rabbit.
The wind industry's trade group spent nearly $816,000 to lobby last
year as wind companies tried to persuade Congress to extend a key tax
credit and make power companies use more renewable sources.Despite the efforts of the American Wind Energy Association, neither desire found its way into legislation this past year.
The
group, whose members include General Electric Co., BP PLC, AES Corp.
and FPL Group Inc., is still pushing for the tax-credit extension after
lawmakers failed to tuck into the economic stimulus plan. The industry
argues that 116,000 jobs and $19 billion in investments are at risk if
the 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour tax credit doesn't get a second wind.
It expires in 2008.
Here is the really, seriously amazing part: In 2004, there were just over 400,000 people employed in the US power generation, transmission, and distribution business. This means that, incredibly, this advocacy group is claiming nearly 30% of the electric utility industry owes their job to wind power, despite wind generating a bit less than 1% of all the power in the US. If this is true, then here is a solution - forget the 1.9 cent subsidy, and cut some staff.
Oh, you mean that job number probably isn't real, kind of like those municipal stadium and sports team subsidy studies. Really? Boy are you cynical.
(HT Tom Nelson)
