Letter - Congress should stop the job killing
From the looks of things this week, the oil and coal industries are winning the battle in Congress. They’ve managed to scare a number of legislators into voting against continuing the wind power subsidies
To the editor:
From the looks of things this week, the oil and coal industries are winning the battle in Congress. They’ve managed to scare a number of legislators into voting against continuing the wind power subsidies. They’re using the argument that wind has not competed well against coal for making electricity and so it’s time to end the subsidy. The expectation that Congress will not do its job has forced the layoffs of 1,700 workers in recent months.
Normally, I don’t approve of subsidies but coal, oil and natural gas continue to get billions in subsidies today, long after they’ve achieved economic success. Natural gas has even been exempted from the usual regulatory oversight. But, now we should discontinue wind subsidies while they continue to get theirs?
According to the New York Times (September 19, 2012), wind industries “have been buffeted by weak demand for electricity, stiff competition of (subsidized) natural gas, and cheaper options from (heavily subsidized) Asian competitors.” 10,000 jobs lost since 2009.
It’s time for a level playing field. We should let Congress know we don’t approve of killing off job-creating industries.
Jeanne Johnson,
Alexandria, MN
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