Energy & Environment

Sierra Club targets 21 reps. for inaction on wind tax break

The Sierra Club is launching an advertising campaign to criticize 21 House Republicans who have not taken a position on renewing the wind energy production tax credit.

Each of the members is from a district or state with a major wind energy presence. They have not taken a position on whether to renew the incentive, which provides a tax break for wind energy produced.

{mosads}In geographically targeted online ads, the Sierra Club accuses each member of “doing nothing” while his state’s “wind jobs blow away.” The group is also running a television ad against Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) that will run more than 5,000 times this month in Michigan.

“The wind production tax credit is arguably one of the best bets we’ve made on clean, domestic energy,” Dave Hamilton, director of clean energy for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, said in a statement. “But many in Congress are failing to act, leaving thousands of American workers and communities across the country blowing in the wind.”

The tax break expired last year. The Senate Finance Committee voted to renew it, but the measure has not moved beyond that point.