Video Highlights the President's Support of Extending the Protection Tax Credit While Romney Raises Big Oil Money

DES MOINES -- While Mitt Romney attends two fundraisers today at the Petroleum Club in Midland, Texas, Obama for America Iowa released a new web video today of the President's remarks in Iowa detailing both Romney and Ryan's opposition to the wind industry, an investment critical to a strong middle-class and a growing economy.  Last week in Iowa, voters heard how President Obama believes Congress should extend the production tax credit for wind energy right now to create American jobs and support American businesses and manufacturers.

Unlike President Obama, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to let the credits expire, which would put thousands of jobs at risk in Iowa and other states. The Republican Party has echoed Romney's hostility toward the wind industry?even omitting wind energy credits from their 2012 platform.

Mitt Romney continues to tout an energy policy that is full of empty rhetoric and bad ideas that would make oil billionaires even richer at the expense of Iowan jobs.  President Obama's tour through Iowa last week reiterated the importance of extending the tax credit because he believes America can't afford to go back to the same policies that crashed our economy and punished the middle-class - we need to continue moving forward toward an economy built to last that strengthens the middle-class by paying down our deficit in a balanced way while making the investments critical to a growing economy.

Please click HERE to watch the video.

Meanwhile, more editorial boards from across the state have publicly rebuked Mitt Romney's opposition to the Wind Energy Tax Credit, which is set to expire at the end of this year. "Obama stands with Grassley and Branstad who know that Romney's energy plan to repeal regulation will do little to diversify U.S. energy sources," writes the Quad City Times in a Sunday editorial.  Below is a snapshot of how newspaper editorial boards across Iowa have lined up in support of extending the tax credit:

Quad City Times "Flinches" At Romney's Opposition To The Tax Credit: "We stand with Sen. Chuck Grassley, Gov. Terry Branstad and most Iowans flinching at Mitt Romney's myopia on wind power," writes the Quad City Times. "Obama stands with Grassley and Branstad who know that Romney's energy plan to repeal regulation will do little to diversify U.S. energy sources. Every energy form is subsidized in America. Without the federal wind energy tax credit, Iowa would be using very few windmills, and producing none" [Quad City Times, 8/19].

Iowa City Press-Citizen: Our View: Wind tax credit good investment for nation: "Romney's campaign staff have responded to the president's attacks by explaining that, while the presumptive Republican nominee strongly supports the wind energy industry, he would rather "allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits." Such a statement ignores the fact that wind energy tax credits were to stimulate development of a renewable source of energy. It also ignores how well the tax credit has helped grow an industry that provides a true energy alternative... The potential benefits for wind energy go far beyond the parochial concerns of any one state ? be it one as small as Iowa or one as big as Texas. Support for this tax credit likewise should go beyond the concerns of any one political party." [Iowa City Press-Citizen, 8/16]

Cedar Rapids Gazette Says Romney Stands At Odds With Entire Iowa Congressional Delegate: "Romney opposes an extension of the federal wind energy tax credit when it expires this year. That stand is at odds with the entire Iowa congressional delegation, including Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King and Sen. Chuck Grassley, all Republicans, as well as Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who says Romney just needs a little more education on the topic.  ...We agree with the governor." [Cedar Rapids Gazette, 8/12].

Dubuque Telegraph Herald Argues Romney "Blows It" On Wind Energy: The Telegraph Herald writes that Romney "reveals a lack of understanding of the importance of wind energy. ...Among the flaws in this logic is that subsidies give wind an unfair advantage. Over coal? Over natural gas? These industries have the infrastructure built over a century of being consumers' only option. As wind energy attempts to make inroads, the subsidies are merely helping it gain footing." [Dubuque Telegraph Herald, 8/12].

Spencer Daily Publisher Said Romney would Leave U.S. more Dependent on Foreign Oil: The Publisher wrote: "Add to the conversation the Romney campaign's pledge to do away with the wind energy tax credits if he is elected. Without support for ethanol or wind energy, the US suddenly becomes much more dependent on foreign oil and, as a result, more interested in the affairs of state in countries we really would rather not be in. I have a feeling the heat will stay high on this issue for a long time to come." [Spencer Daily Reporter, 8/7/12]

Des Moines Register Editorial: "Wind tax credits should be extended." "Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, may have tilted at the wrong windmills when he said he would allow wind energy tax credits to expire," opines the Des Moines Register. "The incentive for erecting wind generators is very popular in Iowa and other Midwestern states that are harnessing the clean power of the prairie zephyrs. ...Iowa is especially big on wind. This state is ranked No. 2, behind only Texas, in wind generation capacity, and it employs more people than any other state building and maintaining wind towers and turbines." [Des Moines Register, 8/5].

Ames Tribune: Wind energy tax breaks are bipartisan in Iowa. Newspaper wrote, "The Iowa Republicans are right. Wind is important. It's big business here, and Iowa is a leader in the industry... But wind energy is also a young industry, competing with the deeply entrenched fossil fuel industry ? which also receives billions in government subsidies every year. Wind needs a help a little longer to get established." [Ames Tribune, 8/3/12]

Editorial in West Branch Times: "Wanting More Details on Romney's PTC Position." The West Branch Times called on Mitt Romney to clarify his position on ending the Wind PTC. The Times noted, "Staff members of the likely Republican candidate have recently said that he would favor ending the PTC, but they did not state whether he would favor phasing it out or ending it immediately. The PTC directly benefits Acciona Windpower in West Branch because it provides tax credits of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour from wind facilities in service before Dec. 31, 2012. Both Republicans and Democrats from Iowa's Congressional caucus support the PTC because it helps support 6,000 to 7,000 jobs here. [West Branch Times, 7/20/12]

Also signs Executive Order 79 to rescind 12 previous executive orders

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced today that the governor will be signing Executive Order 80, which will enact greater public participation in the administrative rules process.

The governor also signed Executive Order 79, which rescinded 12 previous executive orders.

By signing Executive Order 80, agencies will create stakeholder rulemaking groups consisting of individuals who can adequately represent the interests that will be significantly affecting by a draft rule proposal or subject matter.

Rulemaking authorities will now work with those who will be affected by new regulations, and they will be fully aware of the full consequences of each rule or regulation they look to put into effect.

"Public participation in the formulation of administrative rules will help our state to reform burdensome regulations and prevent overregulation or red tape, encouraging efficiency, economic growth and job creation," said Branstad.

Once formed, the stakeholder groups will then notify the public to their meetings, receive public comment and input, and then make recommendations to the entity with rulemaking authority.

Reynolds notes that she and the governor visit all 99 counties every year, and conducted a rules and regulations tour with legislators in order to hear the concerns of small business owners and working families.

"What has become apparent in our travels is that public input is vitally important, but it is missing in a critical aspect of state government: our rules and regulations process," said Reynolds. "Iowa government has a responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state of Iowa. We must enact regulations that achieve this goal as effectively and efficiently as possible."

The governor added that this executive order is about injecting common-sense into the regulatory process.

"Our state will be well served by greater public participation and stakeholder input for regulation and administrative rules," said Branstad. "It is our hope that by giving stakeholders a stake in the process, we can all work together to enact smart, better ways to administer rules and regulations."

The past few weeks have given us the 75^th anniversary of Social Security, the 47^th of Medicare, and a reminder of the millions of people the programs have assisted throughout the past decades.

Social Security and Medicare provide protection and support to millions of seniors, and were started with the spirit and belief that America's seniors should maintain a basic quality of life in their golden years. This social support is critical to protecting the health care and basic needs of our elders, here in Iowa and around the country.

That's why I'm baffled when I hear that some politicians are trying to do away with Medicare and privatize Social Security.  After years of service and work, our seniors deserve a happy, secure retirement and access to quality, affordable health care.

And I know this through personal experience in my own family - my mom, Marcia, receives both Medicare and Social Security.  She earned it, just like millions of other seniors.

But everywhere you turn, you hear the latest outrageous claims about Medicare and Social Security.  So, to put it in plain English, here's how I view it:

1.       The term "entitlement" is misleading.  It should be "investment."  My mom paid into Medicare and Social Security her entire working life, just like every other working Iowan.  She paid for those benefits, and nobody should take that away.

2.       It's not just seniors who have paid into Medicare and Social Security.  If you are working, then you are helping pay for these programs, whether you're 25, 55, or 65.  So when politicians talk about cutting benefits for those 55 and younger, they're still talking about a breach of contract.  If you're 54 years old, you've probably been investing in these programs for over 30 years.

3.       Medicare is currently solvent until 2024, and Social Security until 2033.  These are the facts.  This means that we should be thinking about the future of the programs, but we should not give in to knee-jerk reactions or those who use scare tactics to call for immediate, drastic changes.

I believe that we can protect Medicare and Social Security, maintain all current benefits, and keep the programs solvent.  We should not privatize the programs, turn them into vouchers, or cut benefits - these are just too drastic, and would be bad for seniors and Iowa families.  I'm confident that if we bring a little Iowa common sense to Washington, we can come up with ways to ensure strong, solvent and stable Medicare and Social Security programs for years to come.  I'm not just protecting these programs for my mom, Marcia.  I'm also protecting them for my daughter, Lisa.