The federal wind Production Tax Credit supports nearly 2,000 Missouri jobs, but is set to expire at the end of the year. If Congress doesn’t act to renew the subsidy that could change, which has some Missouri policy-makers worried.
State Senator-elect Scott Sifton of St. Louis joined representatives from Environment Missouri, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization, on Wednesday to call for Congress to approve the incentive.
The tax credit will likely pass the U.S. Senate, where Democrats hold a majority of the seats. Where it will be contentious is the House, where Republicans have control.
But Sifton says the credit shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“It creates jobs in their districts," Sifton said. "Much of the land is in districts represented by Republicans. We’re talking about revenue for farmers, we’re talking about jobs for people in their district.”
Critics of the credit say it’s too costly. It’s estimated that the wind production tax credit would cost roughly $12 billion to renew.
Follow Chris McDaniel on Twitter: @csmcdaniel
- See more stories on politics and policy from St. Louis Public Radio, the St. Louis Beacon and Nine Network of Public Media at BeyondNovember.org.
