Romney's role in wind credit cut

Why would anyone believe what Orrin Hatch says on something Romney doesn't want.  If Romney says jump to Hatch, he will ask how high?  Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.  More of the nonsense coming out of Republicans in the Senate to join their friends in the House.  This doesn't stoop to McConnell wanting to attach repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act on the Cyber Security Bill the night before Women's Healthcare kicked in today, but it is close.  Are some Republicans in the Senate brain dead to even think of attaching Repeal of Affordable Healthcare to the Cyber Security bill when it has nothing to do with cyber security?  The American people are on to their games.

My electric company, OGE, offered us not only wind power but also to become part of the smart grid which I did both.  I also signed up this year for a price alert so not to use a lot of energy during certain periods of the day if we got a price alert which would raise the price per kwh.  My electric bill for last month was half of what it was the year before and has been down every month since I signed up.  Giving wind energy credit is a better use of taxpayer dollars then giving the rich a continued tax cut so the wealthy like Romney can pay less than 15% on taxable income due to a loophole.  Close all loopholes for the wealthy if you are going to keep their rate low.  I am still looking for the loophole to take off my dog's expenses as he is a guard dog when someone comes to the door.  Chewie should be able to have a tax break if a dressage horse can get one on the Romney taxes.

So now it is official -- when Romney says he doesn't like something, the Republican Senators now join their House counterparts in stalling bills that might help Obama.  McConnell said that was exactly what they were going to do in order to defeat Obama.  They think they are being smart but if you leave out Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, and the rest of the chattering class including Fox News, you discover that a lot of people are fed up with the Republicans in Congress and their shenanigans -- I am one of them but I am not alone.  We send people to DC to work for what is best for all the American people not just the Party or the party's candidate.  Seems today's Republicans don't care about the Country as a whole especially women but about what their donors and Romney tell them to do.  Shame on them!

Sources dispute Mitt Romney's role in wind credit cut
By ALEX GUILLEN | 8/1/12 1:30 PM EDT Updated: 8/1/12 5:20 PM EDT 

Mitt Romney’s announcement this week that he opposes any extension of the wind production tax credit derailed a bipartisan agreement in the Senate to renew the industry’s crucial tax break, sources said Wednesday. 

The wind PTC, which expires at the end of this year, was originally going to be included in the bipartisan deal that the Senate Finance Committee announced early Wednesday, senior Senate sources familiar with the negotiations told POLITICO. 

But wind was cut out of the deal after Romney came out against any extension or gradual phase-out of the credit in a campaign statement Monday. The statement, which came while the former Massachusetts governor was still on his overseas trip, prompted several Republican members to withdraw their support, the sources said. 

Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the committee’s top Republican, disputed that account later Wednesday, saying Romney’s opposition had no influence on the wind credit’s exclusion.
Hatch, a major Romney supporter, said he hasn’t even spoken to the Republican presidential candidate about the issue. He said he expects to do so soon, in part because he doesn’t understand whether Romney is truly opposed to any type of extension. 

“Almost everybody admits that if you’re going to do this, you’re going to have to phase it out,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody who objected to that concept, and I think that might be more consistent with Mitt Romney’s feelings.” 

The tax extenders package includes credits for biofuel production and energy efficiency. But along with wind, it also omits any renewal of the expired 1603 Treasury grants program that was popular with the solar industry. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told reporters Wednesday that work was still being done to reconfigure the 1603 grants and that they are still in play. 

The fight between the presidential campaigns over the wind credit quickly heated up following the Romney campaign’s announcement, with fiscal conservatives backing Romney’s stance while Democrats and some Republicans — including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad — expressed dismay. 

Without congressional action, the PTC will expire on Dec. 31. The wind industry has been pushing for some time for an extension because of the long lead time to plan, permit and construct wind projects. 

Recent talks among lawmakers had swung toward either a short-term extension to keep the wind industry going until a broader tax reform effort could take place, or some sort of phase-out period to gradually lower the PTC. 

While the PTC is not in the deal for now, Senate staffers said Wednesday they believe an extension ultimately will make the cut. 

An aide to Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Finance Committee’s energy subcommittee, told POLITICO an extension of the wind PTC will probably be offered as an amendment during the package’s markup Thursday. 

“There is a strong sense that the final bill will include the wind production credit,” spokeswoman Maria Najera said.

Excerpt:  Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79262.html#ixzz22KfsiBsy