Letter to Sander Levin, Chairman Committee on Ways and Means and David Camp, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee - Provisions in Renewable Energy Tax Legislation

Letter

Dear Chairman Levin and Ranking Member Camp:

We write today as members of the Congressional Steel Caucus to urge you to include provisions in renewable energy tax legislation to ensure the full utilization of American components, including iron, steel, and manufactured goods.

There is a vast potential for American manufacturing to revitalize our economy through renewable energy tax credits. For example, there are 204 tons of steel in a single wind turbine, and tax incentives for wind energy can immediately start up our idling American steel factories.

Recently, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it was announced that certain renewable energy tax credits allowed American companies to use tax credits to import manufactured goods. Specifically, an American company stated that it would form a joint venture with a Chinese company to build a 36,000 acre wind farm in Texas. That project would have utilized -- and still could -- Chinese wind turbines, creating over 2,000 jobs in China.

In response to public and Congressional outrage, the Chinese company has announced its intent to build a production facility in the United States. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but the issue of using American taxpayer funds to create Chinese jobs instead of American jobs should not even be a concern in the first place.

As you continue to draft renewable energy tax legislation, we urge you to take all efforts to ensure that the tax credits create American jobs and put American manufacturing back to work.

Sincerely,

Rep. PETE VISCLOSKY
Chairman, Congressional Steel Caucus

Rep. TIM MURPHY
Vice Chairman, Congressional Steel Caucus

Rep. JASON ALTMIRE
Rep. MICHAEL ARCURI
Rep. ROB BISHOP
Rep. JOHN BOCCIERI
Rep. JO BONNER
Rep. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO
Rep. CHRISTOPHER CARNEY
Rep. KATHLEEN DAHLKEMPER
Rep. ROSA DELAURO
Rep. JOE DONNELLY
Rep. MICHAEL DOYLE
Rep. BOB FILNER
Rep. GENE GREEN
Rep. DEBORAH HALVORSON
Rep. BARON HILL
Rep. TIM HOLDEN
Rep. JESSE JACKSON, JR.
Rep. MARCY KAPTUR
Rep. CAROLYN KILPATRICK
Rep. LARRY KISSELL
Rep. DANIEL LIPINSKI
Rep. DAVID LOEBSACK
Rep. STEPHEN LYNCH
Rep. THADDEUS MCCOTTER
Rep. ALAN MOLLOHAN
Rep. PATRICK MURPHY
Rep. SUE WILKINS MYRICK
Rep. GRACE NAPOLITANO
Rep. JAMES OBERSTAR
Rep. NICK RAHALL
Rep. JOHN SHIMKUS
Rep. ZACHARY SPACE
Rep. BART STUPAK
Rep. BETTY SUTTON
Rep. CHARLES WILSON