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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,471 posts)
Mon Dec 30, 2019, 11:58 AM Dec 2019

Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Saudi Arabia of wind'

Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Saudi Arabia of wind' — but climate change isn't the reason
Theron Mohamed
Dec. 30, 2019, 07:18 AM
....

Warren Buffett is spending billions to turn Iowa into "the wind capital of the world, the Saudi Arabia of wind," he told the Financial Times.

Berkshire Hathaway's billionaire boss isn't emulating Greta Thunberg, however. Rather than leading the charge on climate change, hoping to cut carbon emissions at any cost, he told the newspaper he was simply taking advantage of government incentives for renewable-energy investments.

"We wouldn't do [it] without the production tax credit we get," he said.

One of Berkshire's businesses, MidAmerican Energy, owns and operates more than 2,600 wind turbines in Iowa. Those generate over half of the electricity the company provides customers in the state each year. Moreover, it is expanding capacity with the goal of satisfying 100% of its Iowa customers' annual energy needs using renewable sources.

MidAmerican may be betting big on green energy, but Buffett is wary of companies pursuing social and environmental goals. He told the Financial Times that executives shouldn't funnel shareholders' money into peripheral projects and that it was difficult to assess whether businesses were truly doing good.
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Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Saudi Arabia of wind' (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Dec 2019 OP
Buy Fox News and give it a clue Mr Buffett IADEMO2004 Dec 2019 #1
Fox News personalities would just go to another channel Cicada Dec 2019 #2
Unless the current Congress saidsimplesimon Dec 2019 #3
Tax Boost For Solar, Storage, EVs Gets The Boot In Budget Bill, InsideClimate News, 12/21/19 progree Dec 2019 #4
But the birds? Won't somone think about the birds. Farmer-Rick Jan 2020 #5

Cicada

(4,533 posts)
2. Fox News personalities would just go to another channel
Mon Dec 30, 2019, 01:22 PM
Dec 2019

There is a market for their ideology. Buying Fox News won’t kill it.

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)
3. Unless the current Congress
Mon Dec 30, 2019, 02:50 PM
Dec 2019

has changed funding, wind farms receive a subsidy from US. Chump's recent comments are disturbing. I can't understand his word salads, but IT may have garbled a message he heard from the voices in his head.

progree

(10,908 posts)
4. Tax Boost For Solar, Storage, EVs Gets The Boot In Budget Bill, InsideClimate News, 12/21/19
Mon Dec 30, 2019, 06:29 PM
Dec 2019
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127134571

Lawmakers decided not to extend federal tax breaks for solar power and electric vehicles (so when do these tax breaks end? -Progree)

Renewable energy advocates had a long wish list and came away with very little: a one-year extension of a wind energy tax credit that otherwise would have expired on Jan. 1.

Advocates had been pushing for months for an extension of the solar investment tax credit, which begins a three-year phaseout in 2020, and an expansion of the credit to include battery storage and offshore wind. None ended up in the final bill.


So what's the status of these, i.e. were the previous phaseouts or endings schedules kept the same (except for the wind energy tax credit)? On first glance it sounds like its all gone at the end of this year (except the wind energy tax credit), on a second reading it sounds like with the exception of the wind energy tax credit, the current scheduled phase-outs and endings remain the same as before, whatever they were/are.


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