South Dakota Wind Energy Association Executive Director Steve Wegman told the South Dakota Argus Leader that wind energy has poured more than $2 billion into the state since 2002.

ELPC’s Sioux Falls-based Policy Advocate Matt McLarty said, “If we want developers to invest billions of dollars in wind farms and create thousands of new jobs here, the federal government must create a stable, predictable tax climate that encourages long-term investment.”

Read the article in the Argus Leader.

“Transitioning to a new clean-energy economy will create a bright economic future for North Dakota. In fact, the transition is already under way…North Dakota stands to gain a great deal from clean energy legislation. Our state has a huge potential for wind energy, clean biofuels and other energy sources.”

Read the full OpEd.

The state halted this practice after ELPC, other environmental groups and the media expressed concerns that it may harm water and wildlife and could be illegal. Recently some areas in North Dakota have resumed spreading the wastewater on roads.  ELPC Attorney Brad Klien was quoted in this Associated Press article expressing ELPC’s concern about the use of this toxic substance.

“I think a lot of unanswered questions remain about the road-spreading of brines,” said Brad Klein, an attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “We do think the state is on weak legal ground and there are potential Clean Water Act violations.”

Read the full article here

Mindi will be able to expand on this work as chair of The North Dakota Alliance for Renewable Energy, an advocacy organization that develops networks of residents, industry, government, interest groups, and educators to promote the development and use of renewable energy, including biofuels, wind energy and energy efficiency and conservation.

Saying that North Dakota has a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to capitalize on the growing demand for renewable energy and greater energy efficiency, the Alliance presented its detailed policy proposals for six key sectors and areas: energy efficiency, wind, biomass, biodiesel, ethanol and carbon.

ELPC is a member of NDARE, which is comprised of representatives from commodity groups, farm organizations, investor-owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, state agencies, economic development groups, universities, banks, manufacturers, conservation and environmental groups, and private citizens. NDARE is dedicated to making North Dakota the preeminent state for the production and use of renewable energy and the practice of energy efficiency.

Read the press release. 
Read the report’s executive summary.
Watch the television coverage.

Challenging Destructive De-icing

Implementing Renewable Energy Through REAP

We are working with the state’s Congressional delegation and the USDA Rural Development agency to implement Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) provisions of the new federal farm bill. ELPC worked successfully to quadruple total funding for the keystone Section 9006 program (now renamed the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP) and secure major improvements to it. The total funding for REAP is $355 million over four years, which includes $255 million in mandatory funding and $100 million in discretionary funding. REAP now includes dedicated funding for small projects to help family farmers access the program; higher loan guarantee limits to spur sustainable biofuel production and community wind farms; a broader range of eligible applicants, including commercial nurseries and other non-traditional “farms.”

We’ll be hosting workshops across North Dakota to promote the REAP program to farmers, ranchers, small business owners and economic development professionals.

Challenging Destructive De-icing

In 2007, we worked with the Dakota Resource Council to investigate the spraying of oil production wastewater on state roads to melt snow and ice–a technique that had been used by North Dakota Department of Transportation for about 40 years. This saltwater brine, which can be ten times as salty as sea water, is a very effective deicing agent. It can also be toxic to plants and wildlife. Our joint research and advocacy led the state to suspend the use of this drilling fluid as a de-icing material. The state is studying the environmental impact of its former de-icing practices, and ELPC is monitoring the situation.