Oct. 17, 2012
By Gale Lush, Chairman

LINCOLN Neb. – October 17, 2012 – “The American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF) is a major, megawatt sponsor of the 5th Nebraska Annual Wind Conference at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln on October 22-23. For years the ACGF has carried out a program of outreach and education advocating the rural economic development benefits for Nebraska from federal renewable energy incentives,” says Gale Lush, ACGF Chairman from Wilcox. “The federal Wind Energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), like the Ethanol Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), is under attack from fossil fuels, an industry that has had federal subsidies for nearly 100 years. According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and other budget experts, over $113 billion in federal subsidies is expected to go to fossil fuel corporations over the next 10 years. Nebraskans need to be engaged in strong defense of federal renewable energy incentives. This is about Nebraska’s economic future. The wind energy PTC and the ethanol RFS are great examples of smart government policy. Like ethanol, wind energy can be an economic superstar, but only if Congress extends the wind PTC beyond December 31, 2012.”

“By the end of 2012 Nebraska will be nearing 500 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity. We applaud the Nebraska Legislature and Governor Heineman for their leadership and for enacting policies that are putting Nebraska on the wind development map, bringing hundreds of millions of investment and tax dollars into Nebraska counties and the state tax coffers,” said ACGF project director Dan McGuire. “Much more can be done and we applaud Nebraska’s public power system for moving wind energy development forward. With the third best wind resource in the country Nebraska has a world of wind energy development opportunity at hand.”

McGuire added, “ACGF provides Nebraska leaders and the public with essential information on the economic development, energy security and environmental benefits from wind energy development. Our information comes from key authoritative sources including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Powering America program and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). ACGF is a longtime AWEA member and a member of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA).”

The 5th Annual Nebraska Wind Conference has over forty excellent exhibitors providing valuable information to developers, landowners, utility representatives, economic development and government officials and Nebraskans in general that are interested in the future of wind energy development. The conference program has multiple tracks with well respected and recognized state and national speakers covering issues from the federal wind energy PTC to electric transmission and career development. Speakers from Texas and Iowa will provide examples of how wind energy projects benefit their communities. Iowa gets 20% of its electricity from wind energy generation and leads the nation with 6,000 to 7,000 jobs at wind farms and wind related industries.

Dan McGuire is Co-Chair of the Nebraska Wind Working Group and the 2012 Nebraska Wind Conference Committee. He has led the ACGF’s wind energy rural outreach and education initiative since its inception over a decade ago. ACGF has participated in every Nebraska annual wind conference and disseminated wind energy information at numerous Nebraska trade shows such as Husker Harvest Days and the Nebraska State Fair. ACGF and McGuire have participated in every national American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER conference since 2002. In November ACGF will participate in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s (NAFB) Trade Talk in Kansas City, advocating wind energy for economic development and providing information on the benefits of the 20% U.S. Electricity from Wind Energy by 2030 scenario.

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