By Senator Tom Brewer
Senators each represent about forty thousand Nebraskans in their district, but we all receive calls and letters from citizens across the state on a wide variety of topics. I have received many thousands of emails and calls over the years concerning renewable energy.
I believe there is a strong possibility the next presidential administration will put an end to the Production Tax Credit (PRC). This is the federal subsidy that makes the “renewable” energy scam profitable. Every one of the trillions spent on this graft is printed money (federal deficit spending) added to the fiscal operating debt of the county and fueling inflation. It will be up to our grandchildren to pay it back. One is compelled to ask, what did we get for it? I think the same can be said for a lot of federal spending.
According to Mr. Warren Buffett, the day the PRC ends is the last time you will see a wind turbine or solar farm built. I believe that day is approaching. What happens next will cause some serious second and third-order effects for Nebraska’s 93 county governments, many of whom host several of these facilities.
I strongly encourage our Nebraska’s County Boards of Commissioners and Supervisors with renewable facilities to make sure a financial instrument, like a surety bond, or a line of credit is in place for decommissioning these renewable installations in your county. These things are bought and sold at least a half-dozen times over the 25-year lifespan of a typical project. It will not take the last owner of the facility long to file bankruptcy when the subsidy payments stop. I have a very good idea how members of the legislature’s appropriations committee would respond to a county asking the Legislature to pay to take down their defunct wind / solar farm.
I would very much appreciate it if all 93 county attorneys would take a moment and read chapter 23 of Nebraska’s revised statutes, section 114. It’s only one page and is easy to understand. This part of our state law says our county governments “shall have power” to establish zoning regulations to govern renewable energy.
Several counties in Nebraska have established zoning for renewable energy. Thomas and Buffalo counties have each established zoning for wind energy. They both have 3-mile setbacks from a wind turbine to an occupied dwelling. Those counties have not outlawed renewable energy. They have done their statutory duty under the law by creating a zoning regulation.
I realize zoning regulations like these discourage the development of these intermittent energy generators, and to that I say, good! Sighting a wind turbine three miles away from every house makes it much harder to build enough of them to meet shareholder expectations for a renewable project. Often this will cause the developer to move on to the next county with zoning that allows a wind turbine to be built anywhere you want.
I pity the elected board members of that county. You get all the hate mail and angry constituents, and some out-of-state company gets to rake in tens of millions in government subsidies built on the backs of our grandchildren. I know which county board I would want to be on if I was an elected official.
Please contact my office with any comments, questions, or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.