“For over a decade, I have traveled rural Iowa inspecting wind turbines. This has provided job stability and a paycheck that allows me to take care of my family… My work isn’t just a job, it’s a great career. This industry pays well, jobs like mine can’t be offshored, and many are in rural communities,” wrote Joe Zimsen, a construction manager for offshore wind projects at Renew Energy.
In an opinion piece published in The Gazette, Zimsen elaborated on how his job allows him to positively impact his state and his fellow Iowans: “It has also put me on the front lines of the energy revolution in America. With wind energy providing more than 60% of the Hawkeye State’s electricity… It feels good to work on something my community needs: The projects I’ve worked on power hundreds of thousands of homes with clean, reliable electricity.” After meeting the manager of a wind power plant, who later gave him a job, Zimsen has accumulated ten years of experience in the industry at companies like Vestas, GE Renewable Energy, and Siemens Gamesa.
However, in May, the U.S. House passed its original version of the budget reconciliation bill, which took an ax to the clean energy tax credits that have done so much for Iowans. Without those credits, Zimsen argued, “many similar projects across Iowa could stall, leaving both workers and communities without the economic and environmental benefits they provide.” As of May, according to the E2 and the Clean Economy Tracker, factory and project cancellations nationally have totalled $15.5 billion since January, equating to nearly 12,000 lost jobs. More than $9 billion and 10,000 jobs had been set for Republican districts.
In an interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Zimsen added, “This policy of killing offshore and onshore wind and solar energy is going to have tremendous detrimental effects and set us back another 10 to 15 years behind our competitors, like China and Europe. We can’t afford to do that.” In a separate interview with Faces of Clean Energy, he emphasized, “Energy independence is attainable, and clean, renewable energy is the source we need to pursue.”
Photo Courtesy Siemens Gamesa
In his op-ed, Zimsen emphasized the long-term bipartisan support for clean energy projects in Iowa: “Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature and governors of both parties have also contributed to the growth of wind energy.” In particular, he highlighted the role of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the longest-serving Republican legislator in the history of Congress, with more than 50 years. Grassley wrote the Wind Energy Incentives Act of 1993, which created the first wind energy production tax credit, earning him the title “father of American wind energy.”
Zimsen also highlighted the clean energy industry’s positive impact on the state: “Success stories in wind energy are common in our state… We’ve seen wind energy ramp up, with more than $25 billion in new investments in Iowa.” Zimsen painted an image of a burgeoning Iowan industry that can attribute much of its success to tax credits: “From farmers making the most of their land with solar and wind projects to workers in new manufacturing facilities to technicians like me out in the field — thanks to tax credits for wind, we are all building an economy that is lowering energy bills for families, cleaning up the air we breathe, and creating job opportunities for our kids and grandkids.”
“Even as Iowa workers, families, and communities reap the benefits of clean energy, we’ve seen members of the U.S. House of Representatives just this month curtail these incredible opportunities by passing a federal budget bill severely weakening or cutting clean energy tax credits,” he noted.
Photo Courtesy Senator Chuck Grassley
The crux of the guest column was a call upon Iowa’s senators to maintain these tax credits in the Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill: “I’m strongly urging Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst to stand with workers in our industry and Iowan families across the state and ensure that these tax credits remain a powerful source of support for Iowa’s economy.” Zimsen noted that Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) “expressed her enthusiasm for wind energy when I met her on Capitol Hill in March,” while “Grassley has the opportunity right now to secure his wind energy legacy.”
Zimsen concluded, “Senators can ensure that the momentum of our wind energy industry persists and we can keep energy bills low and job creation high.” After all, that is what Iowans want: “Workers, families, and communities in Iowa want to see these strategic investments and policies continue so our jobs remain intact and we can build a future that’s better for our economy, our people, and our environment.”
