Layoffs Mount in Wind Industry

The American Wind Association (AWEA), Washington, D.C., said layoffs are increasing in the U.S. wind industry and that without an extension of the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) they could worsen. AWEA said layoffs by wind equipment manufacturers announced last month included 167 jobs at a DMI facility in Tulsa, Okla., and the possibility of 216 more layoffs at another on the company's facilities in West Fargo, N.D.; and 94 full-time employees and 140 temporary workers and contractors at a LM Wind Power facility in Little Rock, Ark. In addition, Vestas, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer, had already announced its intentions to lay off 20% of its U.S. employees, including some workers at its two Colorado facilities. Since January, the company has announced layoffs that would affect 3,700 employees.