To both Colorado and Iowa, the wind-energy sector is extremely important. Consequently, both states are also very important in the race for the White House. In the two states, considered by many to be up for grabs, alternative energy policy is playing an increasingly growing role in the debate between Mitt Romney and President Obama.
Obama has begun rolling out radio ads to communicate his support for extending tax credits on wind-energy production. For Colorado, the tax cuts are set to expire this year and the President is communicating his desire to extend them into the future. Similarly in Iowa, Obama’s message compares his energy policies against the budget proposal of Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican VP candidate. Obama’s campaign claims the Romney budget proposal would cut taxes for the wealthy while slashing programs like wind-energy that are important to the rural areas of Iowa and Colorado where the wind industry is extremely important.
While Romney has avoided specifically discussing wind energy, he has instead focused on broader energy proposals. The Republican candidate favors a variety of energy options, including traditional sources like coal and gas as well as alternative sources like wind and solar. Romney aims to “create a level playing field,” allowing wind energy to succeed where it is “economically competitive” without a boost from tax credits. Romney’s team claims Obama’s ads to be misleading and an attempt to distract voters from the President’s inability to create jobs in the energy sector and across the board.