Friday, April 18, 2008

Barnes calls on Graves to Support Wind Farms

Kay Barnes, candidate for the 6th Congressional District, today once again called on Congressman Sam Graves to stop protecting the tax breaks for big oil companies like Exxon and instead fund the renewal of production tax credits needed to expand wind farm facilities in Northwest Missouri.
Barnes attended the dedication of the Loess Hills Wind Farm in Rock Port this morning where company officials stressed the need for Congress to immediately renew the tax credits for wind farms and other alternative energies. The credits are set to expire by the end of the year and future development of these alternative sources of energy are now on hold awaiting Congressional action.
Barnes stated, "Voters are angry because Washington is broken and they want change. When elected I will fight hard to pass legislation to take the tax breaks away from companies like Exxon and redirect those dollars to our wind farms and ethanol plants here right here in Northwest Missouri. Just a few weeks ago Congressman Sam Graves voted against the interests of Northwest Missouri and sided with Exxon and the other big oil companies to protect their tax breaks, and at today's dedication he tried to dodge the issue and blame everyone but himself. He once again is making Washington work for the corporate special interests and turning his back both the rural communities in this District and consumers everywhere struggling to pay these outrageously high gas prices."
On February 27, 2008, Congressman Graves voted against H.R. 5351, a bill which would redirect tax breaks to oil companies toward renewing the production tax credit for wind farms for three years and create a new tax credit for cellulosic ethanol. Just two weeks earlier, on February 13, Exxon Mobil donated $2,000 to Graves' reelection campaign.

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