Perry Discusses Iowa Industry
Governor Rick Perry told an Iowa candidate forum that he opposes federal tax credits for wind energy. Photo by Ben Philpott for KUT NewsTexas Governor Rick Perry and four other Republican presidential hopefuls were in Iowa today to answer questions about how they would turn around the country’s manufacturing industry.
The event, sponsored by Iowa Public Television, gave each candidate 15 minutes to lay out their plan and take questions from two moderators: Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa and Tom Hudson, co-anchor of PBS’s “Nightly Business Report.”
Governor Perry went first, explaining how his jobs, energy and tax plans would create new investment in manufacturing in the U.S. Moderators wanted to know whether Perry would continue energy subsidies – specifically ethanol, which is a big deal to Iowa farmers.
“At the federal level, I do not believe that the bureaucrats in Washington D.C. ought to be picking winners and losers in the energy industry or, for that matter, any other industry,” Gov. Perry said. “They ought to get back to doing what they ought to be doing, which is standing a good military and securing our border. Let the states work out the rest of most of these things.”
Research and development is the only place the government should continue to be engaged in energy, Perry said, though he gave no specifics. He said opposes federal subsidies for oil and natural gas.
The candidate is spending the rest of the day campaigning in Iowa. Perry will speak to the state’s Republican Party leaders at a dinner Friday night and his next debate appearance is set for next week in Michigan.
Iowa will hold the nation’s first official nomination contest on January 3, 2012.
