While congress goes on vacation for another two months on the orders of House Majority Shitkicker Eric Cantor, 400 people at Siemens, a company that produces blades for wind turbines, will lose their jobs because congress still hasn't renewed the wind energy tax credit.
Siemens has notified Fort Madison that it will lay off 407 of the 660 workers at the blade manufacturing plant that is one of the five largest employers in the city.
Siemens said the layoff is in response to uncertainties surrounding the wind industry with the pending expiration of the 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour production tax credit Dec. 31. No action is expected by congress until after the November election. [...]
Wind energy interests have warned that job losses are inevitable if the 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour production tax credit is not renewed by congress before its Dec. 31 expiration.
“We said this would happen, and there likely will be more layoffs if the production tax credit isn’t renewed,” said Harold Prior, president of the Iowa Wind Energy Association.
Senate Republicans have agreed to renew the wind energy tax credit, but House Republicans are sitting on their hands.
House Republicans approve of tax credits for energy, but only if that energy involves oil or natural gas. Wind energy is for noted socialists such as Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Steve King (R-Batshit).