New Report: 21,000 U.S. Wind Energy Jobs at Risk from Administration’s Trade War

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp Tuesday released the following statement on the risk to jobs and economic growth in North Dakota’s wind energy industry posed by the administration’s trade war.

“Wind energy is part of North Dakota’s all-of-the-above energy success story – but that success is at risk by the administration’s trade war,” Heitkamp said. “Rising input costs are hurting manufacturers and putting future wind projects in doubt, which is bad news for workers in manufacturing and trucking. The trade war could stifle the serious growth our state has seen in wind energy development and jobs after Congress passed a deal I negotiated in 2015 to provide a long-term extension of a tax credit to support wind energy, providing needed certain for producers and workers. And North Dakota farmers and ranchers who benefit from lease payments – especially at a time of reduced commodity prices and uncertainty due to the trade war – could also feel the pain if the trade war continues and new projects are delayed or cancelled.”