Letter: Kline would block wind industry

To the Editor:

This week, Rep. John Kline signed a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to allow wind energy tax credits to expire at the end of the year. The letter calls for our government to stop investing in “losers” in the energy marketplace.

Kline’s idea that the wind industry is a loser is ironic: the 2nd Congressional District, which Kline represents, ranks 5th in country for installed wind capacity. Kline, out of all Minnesota’s representatives, should know that the wind energy industry is a winner.

Wind energy is clearly a winner in Minnesota’s economy, providing pollution-free energy while creating over 2,000 jobs in clean energy production and manufacturing in the state. Wind already powers the equivalent of 770,000 homes in Minnesota and has the potential to provide 25 times the state’s energy needs.

Now is the time to move forward, not backwards, on clean energy. We cannot allow Kline to block the progress of the wind industry in Minnesota and around the country. For the sake of the environment and our local economy, Congress must extend these critical incentives for wind energy by the end of the year.

Amelia Schoeneman

Minneapolis

Amelia Schoeneman works for Environment Minnesota in the 2nd Congressional District.

Tags: opinion, letters, election