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.

All speakers agreed that tapping South Dakota’s renewable energy potential would benefit the state’s economy and help to address the growing threat of climate change. Mr. Grosboll said that the American Clean Energy and Security Act would be an effective way to reduce carbon pollution and would create over one million clean energy jobs across the country and in South Dakota.

Read coverage in the Rapid City Journal

ELPC recently helped South Dakota enact interconnection standards, the rules necessary to help small energy producers connect to the grid. ELPC Policy Advocate Matt McLarty said that gathering public input on its Small Renewable Energy Initiative is a ”critically important step.”

“If South Dakota is going to see its potential fully develop, especially in wind, this is a critical step to layer businesses, as well as small producers, to start a dialogue and get this going,” McLarty said.

Read coverage of the initiative in the Argus Leader

the public can comment on the initiative through this website

Read the front page story about the new rules in the Argus Leader.

Read the full opinion piece.

“Wind makes sense in rural areas, where stimulus is needed the most – South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa,” said Learner. “This is about job creation – good, new clean jobs. And that’s why wind is going to continue to be robust. It just makes good sense, good policy sense.”

ELPC has worked for years to help South Dakota take advantage of its opportunities for wind energy. Our organization played a crucial role in the formation of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association.

Read the full article here.

The group will work to support the development of wind energy as a sustainable economic and environmentally-friendly resource for South Dakota and its citizens. Board President Jeffrey L. Nelson commented on South Dakota’s wind energy opportunity, “South Dakota has the fourth best wind in the country and many people want to further maximize this potential.” Nelson said, “We look forward to SDWEA advancing the opportunities for South Dakotans as further wind energy is developed throughout our state.”

ELPC will continue to work with SDWEA to maximize the benefits of wind energy for the environment and the people of South Dakota.  

Read SDWEA’s press release here

“South Dakota has a tremendous opportunity to create clean energy on its farms and ranches that is good for the environment,” said Howard Learner, president and executive director with the Environmental Law & Policy Center, which has an office in Sioux Falls. “We’re here to help make a difference in South Dakota.”

Learner said the attention his group is placing on South Dakota is not fleeting. “We’re not dropping in for a year, then dropping out,” he said. “We’re here for the long term.”

Read the full article.

The Case for Wind Power in South Dakota

Wind energy is the fastest growing source of electricity generation in the United States. According to an ELPC report, South Dakota’s available wind resources are among the best in the country and South Dakota officials have expressed strong interest in promoting wind energy. Despite these benefits, little of South Dakota’s wind potential has been realized. As of January 2008, there were about 4,000 megawatts of wind power under development in South Dakota, but only 188 megawatts of wind energy had been installed. ELPC’s report explains how South Dakota can become a renewable energy powerhouse and identifies important policy drivers that can help to more fully tap these clean energy resources. Download the report here.

Simplifying Clean Energy Standards

ELPC staff worked closely with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to develop strong “interconnection standards” — important technical rules that make it easier to connect small solar, wind and other clean energy systems to the electric grid. These standards streamline the interconnection process by including uniform engineering requirements, reasonable fees and timelines, standard application forms and legal agreements, and “expedited review” for small projects. South Dakota approved state rules on May 28, 2009, and ELPC continues working with stakeholders to ensure they are implemented effectively.

Rural Energy for America Program

ELPC is working with a diverse group of allies in South Dakota and around the nation to promote, implement and improve clean energy programs in the next Farm Bill. ELPC has been instrumental in crafting the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, since its inception in 2002. This cornerstone program provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to help produce clean energy and improve energy efficiency. REAP boosts profits by cutting energy consumption (and bills) with modern clean energy technologies; creates jobs and leverages private investments; protects the environment by reducing fossil fuel pollution; and increased our energy security by providing new, homegrown sources of clean energy. Between 2003 and 2011, South Dakota received 135 REAP projects totaling $5.3 million in grants.

ELPC’s South Dakota Office

ELPC’s Sioux Falls office (311 S. Phillips Avenue, Suite 202) is staffed by ELPC Policy Advocate Matt McLarty. Matt previously worked as the Legislative Director for the South Dakota Democratic Party and, before then, as the Director of Governmental Affairs for the South Dakota Farmers Union. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the South Dakota Wind Energy Association.