The lack of a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill from the US Senate this year is having severe implications in the renewable energy sector. Today, the Des Moines Register published an article that highlights the uncertainty among businesses and investors in wind energy.
There is no national long-term renewable energy mandate, which would stipulate that a certain percentage of every utility company's energy sources must come from renewable sources. No plan exists to end subsidies to the fossil fuel industry or to institute a cap-and-trade system, both of which would place a more accurate price on the true costs of such energy. The ability of renewable energy companies to compete and grow is being stunted by this political inaction. "I would be reluctant to invest in more wind generation right now unless I knew I was required to do it or the market price of power was higher," said Tom Wind, an industry consultant in Iowa.
Iowa is the second leading wind energy producer in the nation, and yet zero wind projects are currently under construction. Some say that this is because of the slow economy, but in fact, funding to subsidize new projects could have been easily provided by adopting a cap-and-trade system or transferring even a small percentage of the current fossil fuel industry subsidies to the renewable industry.
Iowa currently has 9,000 green job, many of which are in peril if the government doesn't continue to support renewables. Most of these jobs are through small businesses that are either manufacturing wind turbines or installing/maintaining wind farms. While the federal government, especially the Republican party, is saying they support small businesses, this is a clear example that they are in fact hurting them through their refusal to move forward with any renewable mandates.
The future world economy will be based on designing, developing, manufacturing, implementing, and maintaining renewable energy resources. Those 9,000 jobs currently in Iowa could easily be tripled or more in the near future if we would look forward instead of clinging to the status quo. Our inaction is severely damaging our ability to be a thriving nation in the 21st century and beyond.
