By Michael Bergey, DWEA President

I hope everyone is having a good summer and is able to take some time off. This month I feel compelled to wade in to the importance of the Presidential election in November, because the stakes for our industry couldn’t be higher. On the one hand ex-President Donald Trump is a consistent and vocal hater of wind energy, while on the other Vice President Kamala Harris is purported to be “greener” than President Biden and a strong supporter of wind energy.

The resurgence of the U.S. domestic distributed wind energy industry owes a debt of gratitude to the leadership of President Biden, and Congressional leaders, for the transformative Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). If Trump is reelected, we will face four years of relentless assaults on the programs and funding created in the IRA. At a minimum, it would create a sense of uncertainty that would make finance and investment more difficult, slowing the growth of our industry. There’s also a real chance that a “drill, baby, drill” presidency could undo key parts of the IRA.

Vice President Harris has not been front and center on the IRA legislation, but she comes from California, the clear leader in clean energy policy, and has just been endorsed by the organization behind the “Green New Deal.” I believe that distributed wind would enjoy continued, and perhaps greater, support under a Harris presidency. Thanks to you and our DWEA Policy Director Lloyd Ritter, the association has a lot of momentum, and the election will determine whether our opportunities continue to grow, or we stagnate as we turn to defense of existing policies.

DWEA does not endorse candidates for political office. But I bet you can guess who I’m stridently supporting as the next President of the United States.