The nearly five million visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona each year stare in awe at the canyon's long 277 river miles that can be up to 18 miles wide and about a mile deep.

However, even amidst this beauty, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is focused on the haze in the national park and says it is coming from a very important electricity source in the area.

The Navajo Generating Station (NGS), a coal-fired power plant that supplies electricity for the 14 pumping stations required to move water to southern Arizona?to about 80 percent of the state's population?is being blamed for creating poor air quality in the national park.

Currently, this power plant meets all federal clean air guidelines?except the EPA's interpretation of the Regional Haze Rule.

The goal of the EPA's Regional Haze Rule is the "remedying of any existing impairment of visibility" at 156 National Park and Wilderness areas throughout the U.S.  Congress approved of this amendment to the Clean Air Act in 1977, however, power to set standards of emissions was left to the states?not the EPA.  The EPA's role was to simply provide support.

Now the EPA seems to be trampling on the state's authority to control emissions standards by creating its own set of standards.  Is the EPA really that concerned about cleaning up haze or is this just another aggressive move to push out the coal industry?

If the EPA decides that the NGS power plant needs additional emissions control technology, owners of the power plant can expect to invest $1.1 billion, with no promise of improved air quality in the national park.

Furthermore, the plant is located on land owned by the Navajo Nation.  Its long-term lease with the tribe expires in 2019.  If the power plant operators can't guarantee a renewed lease beyond 2019, investing more than $1 billion into the plant isn't a viable option.  Depending on the EPA ruling, NGS might shutdown?costing 1,000 jobs, 90 percent of them belonging to the Navajo tribe.

Not only would this hurt the local economy, already plagued with high unemployment, but it would effectively destroy the water source to southern Arizona?leading to skyrocketing water rates.

How does the EPA get away with destroying communities like this one?

A political game.  It is no secret that many environmental groups ally with the EPA.  But what if these groups don't think the EPA is doing its job or going far enough? They sue.  The EPA then settles agreeing to fix the problem. Therefore a court-imposed deadline on the EPA leaves it with no other option but to override the state's regulations and enforce its own controls.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a report titled, "EPA's New Regulatory Front: Regional Haze and the Takeover of State Programs," highlights how the EPA, along with court-mandated deadlines, has wheedled its way into state territory by delaying state plans for emission control.

"By combining this tactic of delaying approval of the state plans with Sue and Settle and a court-imposed deadline to act, EPA has manufactured a loophole to provide itself with the ability to reach into the state haze decision-making process and supplant the state as decision maker. EPA has, effectively, engineered a way to get around the protections of state primacy built into the Regional Haze statute by Congress."

Get full story here.

Renews call for extension of Wind Tax Credit

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today welcomed the release of a report from the U.S. Energy Department that highlights the surge in manufacturing and jobs directly related to the wind energy sector.  Loebsack has been a longtime supporter of wind energy programs and has been leading the fight in Congress to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC).  He has visited wind energy plants across Iowa to see firsthand the need for stability that an extension of the PTC would provide and has repeatedly urged the House and Senate leadership to protect these good Iowa jobs.  Loebsack was also named a USA Wind Champion by the American Wind Energy Association for his ongoing support of wind energy in Iowa and working to extend the PTC.

"The release of this report confirms what many Iowans already know - that the wind energy industry across the state is strong and provides good jobs in our local communities," said Loebsack.  "Congress must get its act together and pass a long-term extension of the Production Tax Credit and not block the continued growth of the wind industry here in Iowa.  If the tax credit is not extended on a long-term basis, it will create uncertainty and put Iowa jobs and the Iowa economy in jeopardy."

A copy of the report can be found here.

Uncertainty Surrounding Production Tax Credit Threatens Remarkable Expansion

WASHINGTON - The Energy Department released a new report today highlighting strong growth in the U.S. wind energy market in 2011, increasing the U.S. share of clean energy and supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and underscoring the importance of continued policy support and clean energy tax credits to ensure that the manufacturing and jobs associated with this booming global industry remain in America. President Obama has made clear that clean, renewable wind energy is a critical part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that aims to develop more secure, domestic energy sources, while strengthening American manufacturing.    According to the 2011 Wind Technologies Market Report, Iowa is one the country's largest and fastest growing wind markets, ranking second among all U.S. states in percentage of in-state electricity generation from wind power. The report finds that in 2011, Iowa installed 647 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity, bringing its total to over 4,300 MW, or enough to power about 1 million homes. With this installed capacity, Iowa can generate about 20 percent of its electricity from wind energy.

"This report shows that America can lead the world in the global race to manufacture and deploy clean energy technologies," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.  "The wind industry employs tens of thousands of American workers and has played a key role in helping to more than double wind power over the last four years. To ensure that this industry continues to stay competitive, President Obama has called on Congress to extend the successful clean energy tax credits, which are benefitting businesses and manufacturers nationwide."

Nationally, wind power represented a remarkable 32 percent of all new electric capacity additions in the United States last year and accounting for $14 billion in new investment.  According the report, the percentage of wind equipment made in America also increased dramatically.  Nearly seventy percent of the equipment installed at U.S. wind farms last year - including wind turbines and components like towers, blades, gears, and generators - is now from domestic manufacturers, doubling from 35 percent in 2005. See an interactive map of manufacturing facilities across the U.S., including those in Iowa HERE.

The report also finds that in 2011, roughly 6,800 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity was added to the U.S. grid, a 31 percent increase from 2010 installations.  The United States' wind power capacity reached 47,000 MW by the end of 2011 and has since grown to 50,000 MW, enough electricity to power 13 million homes annually or as many homes as in Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin, Virginia, Alabama, and Connecticut combined. The country's cumulative installed wind energy capacity grew 16 percent from 2010, and has increased more than18-fold since 2000. The report also finds that six states now meet more than 10 percent of their total electricity needs with wind power, with Iowa ranking second nationally.

The growth in the industry has also led directly to more American jobs throughout a number of sectors and at factories across the country.  According to industry estimates, the wind sector employs 75,000 American workers, including workers at manufacturing facilities up and down the supply chain, as well as engineers and construction workers who build and operate the wind farms. In Iowa alone, the industry supported 4,000 to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2010. For instance, at ACCIONA Windpower's West Branch assembly plant 100 workers are working to produce 1.5 MW and 3 MW wind turbines. In Des Moines, Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Company has seen power control system orders from the wind industry grow from almost nothing a decade ago to nearly 22 percent of gross sales today.

Technical innovation allowing for larger wind turbines with longer, lighter blades has steadily improved wind turbine performance and increased the efficiency of power generation from wind energy.  At the same time, wind project capital and maintenance costs continue to decline, driving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness on the global market. For new wind projects deployed last year, the price of wind under long-term power purchase contracts with utilities averaged 40 percent lower than in 2010 and about 50 percent lower than in 2009, making wind competitive with a range of wholesale power prices seen in 2011.

Despite these recent technical and infrastructure improvements and continued growth in 2012, the report finds that 2013 may see a dramatic slowing of domestic wind energy deployment due in part to the possible expiration of federal renewable energy tax incentives. The Production Tax Credit (PTC), which provides an important tax credit to wind producers in the United States and has helped drive the industry's growth, is set to expire at the end of this year. The wind industry projects that 37,000 jobs could be lost if the PTC expires. Working in tandem with the PTC, the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit provides a 30 percent investment credit to manufacturers who invest in capital equipment to make components for clean energy projects in the United States. President Obama has called for an extension of these successful tax credits to ensure America leads the world in manufacturing the clean energy technologies of the future.

See the full annual report and download underlying data produced by the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory HERE.

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AARP SURVEY: NEW "ANXIETY INDEX" REVEALS ECONOMIC ISSUES FACING, DRIVING VOTERS 50+ IN 2012 ELECTIONS

Across party lines, voters want more information candidates' plans to strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

WASHINGTON - In the coming November elections, a key group of voters - non-retired baby boomers ages 50-64 - are driven by economic anxieties that extend well beyond the single issue of jobs, according to the results of a new series of surveys by AARP.  All voters age 50+ want the candidates to better explain their plans for Social Security and Medicare, which will help them determine their votes.

50+ Voters' Financial Outlook: Dissatisfied and Anxious

The particular pressures facing boomer voters - across party lines - are reflected in a new "Anxiety Index," which measures their worries on issues including prices rising faster than incomes (75% worry somewhat or very often about this), health expenses (62%), not having financial security in retirement (73%) and paying too much in taxes (71%).  By comparison, 32% of these boomer voters regularly worry about being able to find a full-time job with benefits or keep up with their mortgage or rent (30%), issues that are more widely discussed as leading economic issues for voters in the coming election.

"We know the issue of jobs is very important to voters age 50-plus, but any meaningful discussion of the economy and this year's election has to include the future of Social Security and Medicare," said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President.  "For these voters, 'retirement security' and 'economic security' are largely the same thing."

Non-retired boomer voters are pessimistic about retirement.  Almost three-in-four (72%) believe they will have to delay retirement, and almost two-in-three (65%) worry they won't have enough to retire.  Half of these voters (50%) don't think they'll ever be able to retire. They overwhelmingly (59%) believe the recent economic downturn will force them to rely more on Social Security and Medicare.

Anxiety about retirement security is a main driver for all voters 50+.  Nearly seven-in-ten (69%) of retired voters 50+ worry about prices rising faster than their incomes, and almost half (48%) worry about having unaffordable health expenses, despite the relative security provided by Medicare.  Only four-in-ten (42%) African-American voters 50+ are confident that they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement.  Hispanic voters 50+ overwhelmingly say that the recent economic downturn negatively impacted their personal circumstances (84%) and will force them to rely more on Social Security and Medicare (69%).

50+ Voters and the 2012 Elections

Economic anxieties among voters 50+ are leading to a general dissatisfaction with political leaders.  Voters 50+ are as likely to say that their personal economic circumstances were negatively affected by political gridlock in Washington (78%) as by the economic downturn (77%).  Almost half (49%) of these voters disapprove of President Obama's job performance, and more than eight-in-ten (81%) disapprove of Congress.  As of now, voters 50+ evenly are split in their presidential vote preference (45% for President Obama, 45% for Governor Romney, and 10% not sure).

The concerns of 50+ voters highlight the importance of Social Security and Medicare as election issues.  They think the next president and Congress need to strengthen Social Security (91%) and Medicare (88%).  They also overwhelmingly (91%) think that these issues are too big for either party to fix alone and require Republicans and Democrats to come together.

Voters 50+ are looking to the candidates for more information on these key issues.  These voters overwhelmingly think the candidates have not done a good job of explaining their plans on Social Security (67%) and Medicare (63%).  Moving forward, these voters - across party lines - say that getting more information on the candidates' plans on Social Security (72%) and Medicare (70%) will help them determine their vote on election day.

"The message from voters 50+ is clear," added LeaMond.  "In a razor-tight election, candidates have a major opportunity to reach key voters by speaking about their plans on Social Security and Medicare - and they are making a huge gamble if they ignore them."

Earlier this year, AARP launched You've Earned a Say, a national conversation to ensure that Americans have a say in the future of Social Security and Medicare.  Through You've Earned a Say, AARP is taking the discussion about the future of Medicare and Social Security out from behind closed doors in Washington.  To date, more than 2.1 million Americans have engaged with You've Earned a Say to share their thoughts about how best to protect and strengthen health and retirement security for today's seniors and future generations.

For more information, please visit www.earnedasay.org.  For complete results of AARP voter surveys, please visit www.aarp.org/voters50plus.

Methodology

AARP commissioned Hart Research Associates and GS Strategy Group to conduct a series of surveys of registered voters ages 18+, which were conducted by telephone July 10-16, 2012.  For the national survey, blinded telephone interviews were conducted with 1,852 registered voters (core sample of 1,001, plus oversamples of voters 50+, African American voters 50+ and Hispanic voters 50+).  The margin of error for the primary national sample of 1,001 is ±3.1%, for the sample of 536 non-retired baby boomers it is ±4.2%, and for the sample of 1,331 voters age 50 and over the margin of error is ±2.7%.  Additional oversample surveys were conducted in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

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