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More than 100 Companies and Organizations Urge Immediate Action on Over 100 companies and national organizations called upon the Senate leadership today to take immediate action on S.1637, the “JOBS" bill. Organizations joining the letter represent every aspect of the American economy ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to home building and renewable technologies. The group emphasized that the bill’s provisions encouraging investment in domestic energy supply and infrastructure are "critical to US economic recovery." The letter warned that failure to act would make US energy problems worse. "With every month that passes without passage of energy tax legislation, the energy industry faces continuing uncertainty and disincentives to investing in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and new technologies." With regard to both the underlying legislation designed to end European Union sanctions against American exporters and the incentives to spur new investment in energy production and infrastructure that have been added to the bill, the organizations continued, “we urge the leadership and members to work together cooperatively to expedite this process. Failure to pass this legislation is already having serious negative consequences for the American economy.” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has announced that S. 1637 will be the Senate’s first order of business upon its return on Monday, May 3rd. Senator Daschle also has expressed his support for completing action on this legislation, and the bill’s energy provisions enjoy broad bipartisan support. In recent weeks, S. 1637 has been delayed as a result of a large number of amendments that have been offered to the underlying bill. While recognizing that a number of Senators in both parties want to offer amendments, the letter urged leadership and members on both sides of the aisle to “work cooperatively to expedite this process.” Over 100 organizations and companies signed the letter, including more than 20 national associations. The collection of national associations signed onto the letter represents both renewable and traditional energy sectors, as well as state and local government organizations and utility regulators. Full text of the letter and list of signatories follows: "Dear Senators Frist and Daschle: We are writing to express our strong support for prompt Senate consideration and approval of S. 1637, the FSC/ETI (“JOBS”) Act. In general, the underlying bill and the bill's provisions to encourage investment in domestic energy supply and infrastructure are critical to the United States’ economic recovery. Both S. 1637 and the energy tax package have strong bipartisan support in the Senate, and the leadership of the Finance Committee has worked hard to ensure that all revenue provisions in the bill have been fully offset. While we understand that Senators in both parties are anxious to have the opportunity to vote on a number of amendments, we urge the leadership and members to work together cooperatively to expedite this process. Failure to pass this legislation is already having serious negative consequences for the American economy and our industry. We support efforts by both parties to promote investment in critically needed energy infrastructure. The overarching importance of energy issues today – at gas pumps, pipelines, power lines, power plants, and overseas – argues strongly for the Senate to complete action immediately on this bill and its energy tax incentives. With every month that passes without passage of energy tax legislation, the energy industry faces continuing uncertainty and disincentives to investing in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and new technologies. Prompt passage of this legislation is vital for supporting continued economic growth, maintaining the health of our industries, and addressing our nation’s need for expanded domestic energy supplies. Thank you for your support of both S. 1637 and the bipartisan energy tax package. Sincerely, Signatories (109) ### AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association’s membership includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site: www.awea.org |
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2004 by the American Wind Energy Association. |
