AWEA recognizes Grassley for wind energy development in Iowa
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recognized U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Wednesday for his leadership and contributions to increasing American jobs and clean energy in Iowa through the advancement of wind energy development.
“Sen. Grassley has long been a friend of the wind energy industry,” AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said. “He was the ‘father’ of the renewable energy Production Tax Credit, or PTC, in 1992, and he’s been an industry champion in Congress ever since. Thanks in large part to his visionary leadership, Iowa just became the first state in the nation to get over 30 percent of its electricity from inexpensive wind power, and up to 7,000 Iowans work in the wind business.”
Kiernan and Grassley celebrated at a town hall meeting held at the TPI Composites wind blade factory in Newton, IA. The factory manufactures blades for wind turbines and has been overhauled twice to keep up with advancing blade designs. The plant employs 950 American workers and is still hiring, but is only one of Iowa’s wind turbine blade manufacturing plants.
After a Maytag factory closed down in Iowa, Grassley worked with other leaders to repurpose the facility. The building was repurposed for wind turbine blade production, and the state continues to expand its wind energy sector through research and government-backed development initiatives.
