In May, Sen. Chuck Grassley asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry a series of questions about a study Perry directed that appeared geared to undermine the wind energy industry. As the father of the wind energy production tax credit, Grassley was concerned that the report would criticize the reliability of energy from renewable sources alongside fossil fuels. Grassley made the following comment on the newly released report, Staff Report to the Secretary on Electricity Markets and Reliability.
“I appreciate that the report treats wind energy fairly. I also appreciate that Secretary Perry welcomed input from the energy community. Those of us who know what wind energy looks like in the 21st Century weighed in early on. We urged the Energy Department to avoid any pre-determined conclusion that wind energy is unreliable or unworthy of taxpayer resources. The Energy Department appears to have done that. Wind energy helps keep electricity rates down. It’s attracted tech companies to Iowa that want to take advantage of green energy for their data centers. Iowa is the first state in the country to generate more than one-third of its electricity from wind. The wind industry is the only energy industry that put forward a path to ending its tax credit, and the phase-out is under way. Wind energy is the source of 7,000 jobs in Iowa and thousands more nationwide. It’s here to stay.”
