Republican Congressman Tom Latham has issued a statement critical of a Romney subordinate. At issue is Mitt Romney’s long-standing opposition to extending the wind production tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
WASHINGTON, DC – Iowa Congressman Tom Latham issued the following statement on Monday in response to a report in the Des Moines Register newspaper that quotes a Romney spokesperson saying that they oppose renewal of the wind energy tax credit:
“I’m disappointed that the statement by Governor Romney’s spokesperson shows a lack of full understanding of how important the wind energy tax credit is for Iowa and our nation. It’s the wrong decision. Wind energy represents one of the most innovative and exciting sectors of Iowa’s economy. Nearly 7,000 hardworking Iowans are employed by over 250 businesses associated with the wind energy industry in our state, making Iowa the top state in wind energy employment. A continuation of the wind energy tax credit is in the best interest of our nation’s all-of-the-above energy policy for American energy independence and for our economy. I invite Governor Romney to step forward and re-evaluate the statement issued by his campaign spokesman.”
As Radio Iowa reported last week, Romney’s opposition to the wind production tax credit is nothing new.
…Meanwhile, in Sioux City, Obama’s campaign arranged a news conference that featured a Republican businessman who takes issue with Romney’s opposition to a tax break for the wind energy industry. Rob Hach runs a business in Alta that installs and maintains wind towers.
“Mitt Romney has not understood the impact of the production tax credit,” Hach told reporters in Sioux City. “He has routinely asked for the removal of the production tax credit and he just really hasn’t understood what Iowa is about.”
Romney’s campaign website talks of the “failure of windmills” to make a profit and suggests it’s a waste of “both time and money” to invest in wind and solar technology “projects that do not bring us dividends.”
Hach and his wife started their company in 2002 and earlier this month it had 31 employees.
“On Friday we lost two employees. We have no intention to replace them right now,” Hach said. “There’s just not the demand there and we need to be able to have that tax credit in order to create the certainty in order to continue to grow our company.”
Hach told reporters a politician’s stand on the wind production tax credit is key in his decision-making.
“This fall, when I have a chance to be in a voting booth by myself, I will pull the lever for Congressman King and I will pull the lever for President Obama,” Hach said. “Both them are supporters of me, my job and my childrens’ future.”
Steve King and the rest of Iowa’s congressional delegation support extending the tax break for the wind industry.
Below is the relevant section of Romney’s campaign website on energy policy:
Government has a role to play in innovation in the energy industry. History shows that the United States has moved forward in astonishing ways thanks to national investment in basic research and advanced technology. However, we should not be in the business of steering investment toward particular politically favored approaches. That is a recipe for both time and money wasted on projects that do not bring us dividends. The failure of windmills and solar plants to become economically viable or make a significant contribution to our energy supply is a prime example
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
Romney wants to give tax breaks to oil companies as well as his other
buddies in other industries yet doesn’t want to give tax breaks to the
windmill industry and probably to other renewable energy industries. But
Romney wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich as well as give
the rich other tax cuts for the rich. Our country needs to do all it can
to get away from using fossil fuels yet Romney will only try his best
to let coal and oil be America’s fuel of choice as he gives them tax
cuts. We should be making it so that the windmill industries as well as
other renewable energy industries should only pay Social Security taxes
and that is all! This way our renewable energy will become more
affordable and able to compete world wide. With this hot summer we just
had it is obvious that we Americans have to figure out as many ways as
we can to get away from the use of fossil fuels. If we don’t we will end
up with hot summers every year which means our crops will not grow
well. America is the bread basket of the world. If we don’t maintain
being the bread basket of the world then there will be mass starvation
in America and world wide. Also our food prices will go through the
roof. With Romney our life will become worse. Romney is no good for
America in many ways. Besides giving tax breaks of many kinds to the
rich Romney wants to cut or gut as many regulations as possible. Doing
this will let the rich rip us off more and let the rich harm our
environment and our health more. Then Romney wants to unnecessarily
increase the military budget to enrich his buddies in the military
industrial complex. We need a president like President Obama who will
recognize that we have a problem with global warming and not a president
like Romney who doesn’t even recognize we have a problem with global
warming and will only make it worse. Our planet is at a critical stage.
We are at the tipping point of our melting will result in very warm
winters and barely any snow. Then once most of the snow and glaciers are
gone the planet will heat up which will cause much water evaporation
but no rain just as what happens in the deserts. Our rivers will then
start drying up followed by small lakes and then big lakes. The world
will then become a desert as life on Earth starts to perish. Eventually
the planet will begin to look like Mars. Is that the kind of future you
want to leave our kids and their kids. A vote for Romney will help make
it so! Our environment is becoming so destroyed that we can never repair it and
it will be all down hill from then. We are at the beginning of the end. Do you want to vote for Romney so that he can help get us there quicker!