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Section 1603 Grant Extension: Just Say No (Good money after bad–is the end near?)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#llinowes">Lisa Linowes</a> -- December 5, 2011

There’s desperation on the Hill by the taxpayer  parasites. The wind industry is once again pressing Congress for a last minute extension of the Section 1603 subsidy.

And why not? ‘Tis the season for giving, and the approach of “Ask and ye shall receive” has worked pretty well for the industry so far, especially with a contingent of members happy to be led around by any entity cloaking itself in ‘green’. Who better to do the leading than the American Wind Energy Association (‘AWEA’), the trade group increasingly dominated by wind turbine manufacturers — most of whom are headquartered in Europe and Asia.

Any reasonable assessment of the 1603 grant program would be lost entirely on this crowd but there are facts that make any discussion of an extension foolhardy.

High Cost: The treasury reports it’s already distributed $9.6 billion in cash grants during the period from 2009 to October 31, 2011.…