Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Midwestern renewable energy update

Hey, I'm all for renewable sources of energy. The less money that goes into the hands of the House of Saud and Hugo Chavez, the better.

Which of course means that unlike Teddy Kennedy, I favor the Cape Wind project off of Massachusetts.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has an idea that involves getting energy from the above the ground, instead of below it, as he tells the Omaha World-Herald:

The Nebraska Democrat is proposing legislation to help ease America's addiction to fossil fuels by encouraging a renewable resource.

His bill would establish federal tax credits, loans and loan guarantees to encourage production of "biogas" - a natural gas substitute that's manufactured from cow manure.

Nelson's motto: "Don't waste the waste."

And in Nebraska, where cattle outnumber people 4-to-1, there's a lot of potential fuel lying around.

A couple of states to the north, more wind mills, the type the Kennedy family doens't want near their Hyannis Port compound, might be on their way in North Dakota.

From the Grand Forks Herald:

Xcel Energy announced plans Tuesday to buy or build 200 megawatts of wind-power capacity in North Dakota by 2011 as part of the utility’s push to boost its renewable energy generation.

That figure would exceed the 178 megawatts of capacity operating throughout North Dakota at the end of last year, and is nearly a third of the 682 megawatts now in operation or under development in the state.

The initiative, announced shortly after the North Dakota Legislature passed new wind development incentives, will dramatically increase Xcel’s wind capacity in the state acknowledged by many to be the "Saudi Arabia of wind energy" for its rich potential.

Related posts:

A Kennedy is on the board of the Chicago Climate Exchange

Corn, ethanol, toilet paper, and Sheryl Crow

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