Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Job Killing Republican Gov. Scott Walker is proposing over-regulation of the new wind energy industry, while deregulating everything else. JOB KILLER?

Guess we know who’s in bed with Big Oil and coal. While stripping away environmental controls protecting Wisconsin’s natural recourses, Walker is clearly in opposition to the green revolution in job creation. Take it away China…
jsonline: A regulatory reform bill proposed Tuesday by Gov. Scott Walker would place new restrictions on wind development and calls for a special exemption for a Neenah-based businessman and contributor to Walker’s gubernatorial campaign … The special exemption involves water quality requirements for a wetland in Brown County owned by businessman and automobile dealer John Bergstrom … has been a big campaign contributor for years … donating $16,700 since July 2008, records show.
Kind of makes the following down-the-rabbit-hole statement a bit contradictory.
In a statement, Walker said, “We need to ensure that state agencies are focused on job creation. The proposed review process will make sure only the most necessary rules are implemented so businesses are no longer held back by the costs of overregulation.”
Walker’s ability to kill jobs was highlighted by his success in vilifying and doing away with the high speed rail project. Walker said at the time the projected creation of 5,500 jobs during construction in the first 5 years was not long term enough. Yes, he’s very selective.

What was considered job killing “over-regulation” by Democrats, is now the perfect Republican weapon against supposed “liberal” green energy job creation.
Walker’s bill contains a series of changes to siting requirements for wind farms that developers of such projects said would make building wind turbines much more difficult than a rule proposed last month by the state Public Service Commission.
How bad is the job killing over regulation of wind energy?
Wind power developers on Tuesday called one requirement in the measure to move wind turbines farther from properties than is now required a jobs-killer because it would make new projects too costly.   
The wind firms said proposals that would make wind siting more restrictive could send wind developers, and the construction and manufacturing jobs linked to wind power, out of state. “Repealing or modifying the wind siting law will send a message to manufacturers, developers, and investors that Wisconsin is not open for this particular business, which can which can be a key contributor to Wisconsin’s manufacturing renaissance,” a coalition of wind developers and suppliers said in a letter to the administration and legislative leaders.
I’m hearing crickets on the Republican side of the aisle.
Bill Rakocy, a partner in the development firm Emerging Energies of Wisconsin, said his wind farm, the state’s newest wind development, would have only one turbine instead of eight if an 1,800-foot setback were imposed. “If the setbacks are expanded further than they already have been, it would create a major obstacle to wind, and the construction jobs and manufacturing opportunities that could go with it. It would be an unfortunate turn of events,” he said.

1 comment:

  1. Funny how Governor Walker's campaign was all about creating jobs. Why is it then that he has selectively chosen to eliminate Wisconsin jobs in the Wind Energy sector and the railroad industry?

    ReplyDelete