When I wrote in December about how the country was training workers for green jobs that aren't there yet, I mentioned that one of the few programs that actually gives direct grants to renewable-energy companies is set to end at the end of the year. The New York Times yesterday reminded us that the date for that program to expire is quickly approaching, and not much action has been taken to extend it. The program allowed companies to trade future tax credits for cash now, and the American Wind Energy Association has said it was crucial to the industry in the economic downturn.
'We have people being laid off right now, and we expect to see more without fast action on the tax extenders now being negotiated,' Denise Bode, the chief executive of the wind energy association, said in a prepared statement.
'We are risking those jobs,' she added, 'by not sending a clear signal that America remains open for business in wind energy.'
It's not just about cash for companies now but about trying to build investor confidence in a fledging industry. But this Congress has had a hard enough time agreeing on basic economic stimulus despite prolonged joblessness and a lack of aggregate demand, so even extensions of stimulus programs that shouldn't be controversial are in this climate.
-- Monica Potts
