Setting the record straight on wind after the final 2020 Presidential Debate

Last night was the final Presidential Debate in the 2020 election, and notably climate change for the first time was announced as an official topic prior to the event. That led to an illuminating discussion about renewable energy, and unfortunately, a series of incorrect statements about wind energy from President Trump.

At this point, it’s well-established that wind power isn’t a red, blue, or in-between issue—it’s an American issue with support from the left, right, and center. For example, a Pew poll from June 2020 is the latest in a long line of surveys that found large majorities of Americans support increasing the country’s share of wind generated-electricity, ranging from 69 percent of conservative Republicans to 93 percent of liberal Democrats who want to see more wind farms.

Since 2016, over 80 percent of the new wind projects that have come online were in states President Trump carried in the 2016 election. Citizens in the Wind Belt, which includes traditionally red states from Texas up through the Dakotas, are realizing the lion’s share of wind’s benefits, which include $1.6 billion a year paid in state and local taxes and landowner lease payments, over 120,000 well-paying direct jobs, and employment in over 530 U.S. factories building wind turbine components, among many others.

Although many of his supporters comprise the population benefiting most from wind, President Trump has continued to get the facts about it wrong. We fact-checked last night’s debate in real time on Twitter, and here’s a recap to correct the record:

You can also find a comprehensive fact check that sets the record straight on birds, reliability, incentives, and more on our Truth About Wind Power page.

Original Source: https://www.aweablog.org/setting-the-record-straight-on-wind-after-the-final-2020-presidential-debate/