renewed every year or two, Martin says the lack of a more permanent policy has led to a “boom and bust cycle.”
In Michigan, the growth of the wind-energy sector is undeniable. According to data from AWEA, Michigan has at least 31 facilities that are currently manufacturing components for the wind-energy industry and six additional facilities that were recently announced, with the potential to create an estimated 3,000 jobs. In June 2010, the Eaton Rapids, MI-based URV USA announced it plans to open the first wind-dedicated foundry in the United States—and perhaps the first new foundry built in Michigan since the height of the Industrial Revolution.
“The PTC has made it possible for developers to build these kinds of operations,” Martin says. “We’re building a whole new manufacturing sector and creating jobs in places that desperately need them, like Michigan and Ohio.”
AWEA and companies like Danotek present a fairly compelling argument for renewing the PTC. But will a sharply partisan Congress bitterly divided on fiscal issues and heading into an election year see it the same way?
“I’m not a prophet, I’m a legislator,” Dingell told me in an interview. “I don’t really know what will happen, and budgets are obviously a major concern. But I look forward to supporting the legislation because I know what [the PTC] has done for Michigan. We’re getting ourselves to where our manufacturers are competitive in a very difficult world.”
Gibson echoes that sentiment. Danotek just shipped its first units to a “big” customer (Gibson declined to specify who) late last month, a significant milestone for a growth company seeking validation of its technology.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Gibson says. “The history of the PTC is that it has been extended and even widened. It’s not a grant, and I think when politicians examine the issue, they’ll see the tangible benefits.”
