S6530 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 20, 2012 

Tamar Pileggi; Co-Founder, The Jerusalem Center for Genocide Prevention 

Jerusalem, Israel. 

Dr. Uriel Levy; Director, Combat Genocide Association; Jerusalem, Israel. 

Dr. Penny Green; International State 

Crime Initiative; Kings College, London. 

Dr. Tony Ward; Professor of Law; University of Hull, UK. 

Ms. Amy Fagin; International Association of Genocide Scholars; New Salem, 

MA. 

Dr. Ann Weiss; Director, Eyes from the 

Ashes Educational Foundation, and author of The Last Album: Eyes from the 

Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau; Bryn 

Mawr, PA. 

Dr. Rick Halperin; Director, Embrey 

Human Rights Program; Southern 

Methodist University, Dallas, TX. 

Mr. Geoff Hill; Bureau Chief, The Washington Times; Johannesburg, South Africa; South Africa. 

f 

WIND PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT 

Mr. ALEXANDER. I ask unanimous 

consent that the following article from 

the Wall Street Journal on September 

18, 2012, on the cost to taxpayers for 

the wind production tax credit be 

printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

PUFF, THE MAGIC DRAG ON THE ECONOMY

TIME TO LET THE PERNICIOUS PRODUCTION TAX

CREDIT FOR WIND POWER BLOW AWAY

(By Lamar Alexander and Mike Pompeo) 

As Congress works to reduce spending and 

avert a debt crisis, lawmakers will have to 

decide which government projects are truly 

national priorities, and which are wasteful. 

A prime example of the latter is the production tax credit for wind power. It is set to expire on Dec. 31—but may be extended yet 

again, for the seventh time. 

This special provision in the tax code was 

first enacted in 1992 as a temporary subsidy 

to enable a struggling industry to become 

competitive. Today the provision provides a 

credit against taxes of $22 per megawatt 

hour of wind energy generated. 

From 2009 to 2013, federal revenues lost to 

wind-power developers are estimated to be 

$14 billion—$6 billion from the production 

tax credit, plus $8 billion courtesy of an alternative-energy subsidy in the stimulus 

package—according to the Joint Committee 

on Taxation and the Treasury Department. 

If Congress were to extend the production 

tax credit, it would mean an additional $12 

billion cost to taxpayers over the next 10 

years. 

There are many reasons to let this giveaway expire, including wind energy’s inherent unreliability and its inability to stand 

on its own two feet after 20 years. But one of 

the most compelling reasons is provided in a 

study released Sept. 14 by the NorthBridge 

Group, an energy consultancy. The study 

discusses a government-created economic 

distortion called ‘‘negative pricing.’’ 

This is how it works. Coal- and nuclearfired plants provide a reliable supply of electricity when the demand is high, as on a hot 

summer day. They generate at lower levels 

when the demand is low, such as at night. 

But wind producers collect a tax credit for 

every kilowatt hour they generate, whether 

utilities need the electricity or not. If the 

wind is blowing, they keep cranking the 

windmills. 

Why? The NorthBridge Group’s report 

(‘‘Negative Electricity Prices and the Production Tax Credit’’) finds that government 

largess is so great that wind producers can 

actually pay the electrical grid to take their 

power when demand is low and still turn a 

profit by collecting the credit—and they are 

increasingly doing so. The wind pretax subsidy is actually higher than the average 

price for electricity in many of the wholesale 

markets tracked by the Energy Information 

Administration. 

This practice drives the price of electricity 

down in the short run. Wind-energy supporters say that’s a good thing. But it is hazardous to the economy’s health in the long 

run. 

Temporarily lower energy prices driven by 

wind-power’s negative pricing will cripple 

clean-coal and nuclear-power companies. But 

running coal and nuclear out of business is 

not good for the U.S. economy. There is no 

way a country like this one—which uses 20% 

to 25% of all the electricity in the world— 

can operate with generators that turn only 

when the wind blows. 

The Obama administration and other advocates of wind power argue that the subsidy 

provided by the tax credit allows the wind 

industry to sustain American jobs. But they 

are jobs that exist only because of the subsidy. Keeping a weak technology alive that 

can’t make it on its own won’t create nearly 

as many jobs as the private sector could create if it had the kind of low-cost, reliable, 

clean electricity that wind power simply 

can’t generate. 

While the cost of renewable energy has declined over the years, it is still far more expensive than conventional sources. And even 

the administration’s secretary of energy, 

Steven Chu, calls wind ‘‘a mature technology,’’ which should mean it is sufficiently 

advanced to compete in a free market without government subsidies. If wind power cannot compete on its own after 20 years without costly special privileges, it never will. 

Mr. Alexander is a Republican senator 

from Tennessee. Mr. Pompeo is a Republican 

congressman from Kansas. 

f 

RECOGNIZING THE CHILDREN’S 

LEUKEMIA FOUNDATION 

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am 

proud to recognize all those affiliated 

with the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan as they celebrate 60 

years of dedicated service and invaluable support for Michigan families. 

Their efforts have made a tremendous 

difference in the lives of individuals diagnosed with leukemia or a related disorder. This is important work, and we 

are all grateful for their efforts. An exciting evening has been planned to 

commemorate this milestone in Birmingham, Michigan this Saturday. 

The Children’s Leukemia Foundation 

of Michigan has been at the forefront 

of the battle against various blood disorders for six decades, helping countless families across Michigan deal with 

these devastating illnesses and to navigate the many important decisions 

they face as a consequence. Since its 

inception in the late 1940s and its incorporation in 1952, this organization 

has sought to equip patients and their 

loved ones with the resources, information, and guidance they need to make 

informed decisions. 

Each individual who is diagnosed 

with a disorder must make a number of 

important decisions about their care 

and circumstances. This is where the 

CLF steps in. The mission of the CLF 

is ‘‘to provide and promote compassionate, personalized support to people 

in Michigan affected by Leukemia and 

other related disorders.’’ This is accomplished through a comprehensive 

array of services for patients and their 

loved ones, ranging from support 

groups, to an online resource room, to 

a resource kit for families and caregivers that contains useful and timely 

information about the disorder and the 

road ahead. 

The financial and emotional support 

the CLF provides is crucial. Whether it 

is listening to patients and caregivers, 

helping to defray the cost of a prescription, referring an individual to the appropriate agency or service provider, or 

paying lodging for a family member, 

the CLF stands ready and willing to assist families in their time of need. Understanding that illness affects the entire family, the CLF offers services 

such as a day of respite for family 

members, peer support from others who 

share a common experience, a holiday 

toy program for children, and a ticket 

program that gives families a precious 

few hours of fun and joy. The deep concern and care this organization shows 

certainly helps to lessen the stress on 

families. 

Organizations like the CLF help to 

provide a measure of comfort and assistance to patients and their loved 

ones. I know my colleagues will join 

me in thanking all those affiliated 

with the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan for their hard work 

and tireless commitment on behalf of 

families across Michigan. The positive 

impact they continue to have on the 

lives of Michiganians living with leukemia and related disorders, is tremendous, and I extend my deepest appreciation for their many years of service. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO ROSS OGDEN 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, 

today I wish to honor a dedicated, inspiring—and one of our Nation’s longest serving—emergency responders. 

Ross Ogden has quite literally given to 

the American Red Cross for his entire 

adult life. 

Beginning his service in 1960 as one of 

the youngest members of the Greenwich chapter of the American Red 

Cross, Mr. Ogden served since his high 

school days with his local chapter, now 

known as Metro New York North. 

Throughout his academic tenure at 

Swarthmore College and then the University of Virginia, Mr. Ogden has 

helped and rescued fellow Americans 

confronting crisis, loss, and pain. He 

has administered aid during our most 

devastating national disasters, traveling around the country to join his 

family of Red Cross volunteers, ready 

to help at a moment’s notice. In the 

wake of Los Angeles’ deadly earthquake in 1994, on 9/11, and during Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Ogden risked danger 

to help others without hesitation. He is 


tjames on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with SENATE