It’s not jobs, but ideology that is number one on the Republican to do list. Goodbye “Liberal” Wind Power.

Wisconsin doesn’t have a natural resource like Texas’ oil, but what we do have is very liberal, and very green; wind.

Like high speed rail, the emerging green energy industry is so liberal, that commie China has decided to be the world leader now and into the future. A close second to China is socialist Germany, and no one wants to be like Europe. 

We don’t need to harness mother nature for free when it’s so much easier to buy natural gas from out of state suppliers, at whatever price the commodities market thinks is profitable. Hoorah for freedom and corporate profits.

Thank you Gov. Scott Walker, for playing to the base:

Jsonline: About $500 million in investment in renewable energy over the next two years could be at risk if lawmakers approve Gov. Scott Walker's wind turbine siting bill. The bill, praised by some as a strong defense of property rights, would erect the biggest hurdle to wind farm development in the nation, industry leaders said Friday. "This will be the biggest regulatory barrier in terms of setbacks in the country," said Denise Bode, chief executive of the American Wind Energy Association, based in Washington, D.C. "You're adding a new regulatory barrier and putting a 'closed for business' sign on Wisconsin for wind development."

You got that? "You're adding a NEW REGULATORY barrier and putting a ‘CLOSED FOR BUSINESS’ sign on Wisconsin for wind development." Who knew only conservative businesses were the good ones? It’s not just the windmill developers themselves that are targeted either:

A restrictive environment for wind development would create a chilling effect for companies that manufacture parts for wind turbines and want to open plants in the state, following the lead of firms such as TowerTech in Manitowoc and Ingeteam, which is building a factory in the Menomonee River Valley. Many states have no setback requirements, deferring to local units of government. Of those that do, none has a setback from turbines as deep as Wisconsin's new proposal, Denise Bode said.

A total of $1.8 billion in investment may be at stake if every wind farm now in the planning stage in the state is halted. About $500 million of that investment is at risk over the next two years from projects poised to start construction, he said.  

WSJ: Buried in a regulatory reform … lies a provision that wind energy insiders say could shut down 12 wind farm projects, cost investors billions and essentially kill the industry in the state … Walker seeks to quadruple the distance between wind turbines and neighboring property.

Critics called the provision a job killer and said it would earn Wisconsin a reputation for being hostile to alternative energy sources, such as wind. "It would in essence shut down wind energy in the state," said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. "It is one of the most onerous regulations we have seen. This is a shock to those of us in the wind industry. This will cause projects to go to other states." … push the setback from the property line to 1,800 feet (almost six football fields), a distance that industry experts say is unheard of in other states.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie … reiterating what has become the new Republican governor's mantra. "Governor Walker is focused on ensuring Wisconsin has a business climate that allows the private sector to create 250,000 jobs across all economic sectors," he said.

"It's a death sentence," said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a Madison nonprofit that promotes clean energy. "This has everything to do with eliminating wind power. That's why the proposal is so high. It's a hit job.""This regulation goes far beyond what any other state has done, "said Tim Polz, vice president of Midwest Wind Energy, a company currently planning a large wind farm in Calumet County. "This will kill our project." Midwest has already spent three years and about $1million on the Calumet County project, which would employ between150 and 200 construction workers for up to 18 months if it moved forward. "This sends the message to us that Wisconsin does not want our business," he said.

Dean Baumgardner, executive vice president for the St.Louis -based Wind Capital Group, said Walker's proposal will likely kill the Grant County farm. "But we will keep building wind farms," he said. "We will just do it elsewhere."

Wisconsin is high on the wind chart too, giving us the ability to take advantage of our own “natural resource.” But it’s green energy, a touchy feeling liberal idea, and the voters sent a clear message Democratic policies would not stand:

Bode said the wind industry employs about 3,000 people in Wisconsin. The state spends about $1.5 billion on imported energy every year and ranks 16th in the country in available wind.