Speaking at the Democratic National Convention to officially accept his nomination for re-election, President Barack Obama voiced his support for an ‘all of the above’ energy approach, including renewable energy like wind power.
The president also took aim at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's energy plan, which focuses largely on fossil fuels.
‘We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more,’ Obama said. ‘But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers.’
Nonetheless, renewable energy like wind and solar power represent just a fraction of the president's energy plan.
"We're offering a better path – a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a hundred year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet," he said. "If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone."
Obama has repeatedly stressed his support for an extension of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC), even making it part of Congress' to-do list before it broke for summer recess. Despite his efforts, neither the House nor Senate has taken up a vote on the PTC measure. However, the Senate is expected to do so this month when it considers a tax-extenders bill containing a one-year PTC extension.
The president has made wind energy a prominent part of his campaign in states like Colorado and Iowa, which are already suffering from the effects of PTC withdrawal.
Meanwhile, both Romney and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan have said they oppose the PTC and would let it expire at the end of this year.
"[Romney] will allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits," a spokesperson for the Romney campaign said in July.
