Wind Energy Jobs Highlighted on Capitol Hill

January 28, 2009 - A press conference convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer put the spotlight on the wind energy industry’s ability to create new, high-quality jobs in America.

Jim Bauer, a steelworker now employed at Gamesa’s manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, spoke of his recent work experience:

“Hello, everyone. My name's Jim Bauer. I'm a steelworker. I lost my job in the late '90s due to foreign imports and energy crisis.

“And recently I got hired by a company named Gamesa in wind energy. They brought jobs to this company — a foreign company outside brought jobs to this country, which is quite a switch, and we're looking for more of that.

“At present, we're building nacelles, and the rate has dropped because of economic crisis. And what we need is the stimulus package to be passed so that people can get the money to buy these machines and put more people back to work.”

Bauer, Pelosi, and Hoyer were seeking to draw support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act, which contains several essential provisions to keep the wind energy industry growing and creating jobs despite the down economy. 

The bill includes a new grant program that would make tax incentives for the renewable energy industry usable even during an economic downturn. It also includes a three-year extension of the production tax credit, several provisions to promote transmission for renewable energy, and key changes to benefit small wind systems. The U.S. House of Representatives passed this legislation on the evening of January 28. 

Made in America: New Energy, New Jobs

Hear the story of Troy Galloway, an American whose job and neighborhood have been revitalized
by wind turbine manufacturing.

^Top