Nebraska lawmakers are closing in on passing a measure to pave the way for a $300 million wind farm project in Dixon County.
Lawmakers on Tuesday gave second-round approval to a bill by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop that would remove a barrier to the development and export of wind energy in Nebraska. It would offer tax incentives that could lead to Nebraska getting a wind farm project by TradeWind Energy, of Lenexa, Kan.
The project, called Rattlesnake Creek, is proposed on more than 10,000 acres of farmland between Allen, Emerson and Wakefield, southwest of Sioux City. More than 100 local landowners would receive lease payments of $10,000 to $15,000 per turbine.
TradeWind officials have said attracting customers is difficult because the state's lack of tax incentives means it would have to charge more for power than companies based in other states.
Sen. Ken Schilz, of Ogallala, previously proposed replacing Lathrop's measure with another, by Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, that would encourage more local ownership of renewable energy projects. It would allow a sales tax exemption on materials used in the projects, as long as 25 percent of gross revenues went to Nebraska businesses or individuals. Schilz eventually abandoned the effort.
Schilz said that because Nebraska is a public power state, Tradewind would be required to offer 10 percent of the power it generates to Nebraska utilities while shipping 90 percent out of state.
"If we incent all those export projects first … then in 20 years, what's left … for the people of the state of Nebraska?" Schilz asked. "We really do need to think about the future and what goes on. Whose wind is it? Who should get the benefit for it, and how long should that benefit last?"
Sen. Burke Harr, of Omaha, said it was wrong to oppose projects by companies outside of Nebraska.
"We are saying we're not open for business," Harr said. "We're saying, 'Gosh, we want your money, but we don't want you.'"
Nebraska lags in the production of wind energy. Iowa generates more than 13 times as much wind power as Nebraska -- 4,536 megawatts to 337. And Nebraska ranks last among its neighboring states.
MidAmerican Energy, which has nearly 1,300 wind turbines in Iowa, including several farms in western Iowa, recently announced plans to spend $1.9 billion to build another 656 wind turbines across the state. It's the largest economic development project in Iowa history.
Lathrop's bill would fall under the Nebraska Advantage Act, which took effect in 2006 and is meant to encourage companies to expand and create jobs by offering them tax incentives. About 320 companies have applied for Nebraska Advantage credits and created 20,500 new jobs.
"This is an economic development issue," Lathrop said. "The Advantage Act has always been about economic development. We know what the benefits are. It is a great tool for economic development."
The measure would provide a sales tax exemption for the purchase of turbines, towers and other wind-farm components, which Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma have used to create a wind-energy boom.
TradeWind Energy will decide soon whether it will build in Nebraska or elsewhere.
Gov. Dave Heineman, who has touted developing wind energy, says lawmakers should not pass bills giving new tax breaks until the Legislature does a proposed study to overhaul Nebraska's tax system.
2013年4月21日 星期日
Is that gambling at Speaking Rock?
Walk into the Socorro Entertainment Center or Speaking Rock, both operated by the Tigua Indians of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and what you’ll find there looks like gambling, sounds like gambling and feels like gambling.
In room after room, there are hundreds of machines that look, play and pay a lot like slot machines.
You can put in a $10 bill and in a matter of minutes, lose it all or double your money and then take the machine’s payout slip to a cashier and get cash.
But sometimes, under the complexities of Texas and federal law, what may look, feel and pay like gambling isn’t gambling at all.
The Texas Attorney General’s office, which shut down the Tiguas’ Speaking Rock Casino in 2002 after a three-year legal fight, doesn’t like what’s happening on the tribe’s properties now and has tried to stop it.
In legal motions, the state calls it gambling. But no court has agreed.
The machines are not slots; they are sweepstakes validation terminals, the tribe’s lawyers contend. And no court has disagreed.
So, the games go on at the Tigua entertainment centers, along with free concerts by big name performers and bands, alcohol sales, good food and the cheapest cigarettes in Texas.
The free concerts put a big dent in competitors’ business and have closed down a few, said one venue manager who asked not to be named.
“It has affected a tier of entertainment and those clubs that are close to the entertainment centers,” he said. “Look at any casino in New Mexico. Anyone who does entertainment will charge for tickets to break even, and then make money on gambling and alcohol.
“Why is this the only back-door casino that has free concerts?”
Visit Speaking Rock on a weekday morning, and you’ll find a surprising number of cars in the parking lot, great 1960s and ‘70s music playing in the game rooms and a crowd of older folks sitting comfortably in front of noisy machines with cartoony graphics.
A lot of the patrons are women and a lot of them smoke. Ashtrays are everywhere. Serious players say they come two or three times a week, others once or twice a month.
“You win and you lose,” said one regular with $80 in credits on her machine.
On one morning last week, the half dozen players El Paso Inc. interviewed all spoke Spanish only, and agreed that they were having a good time gambling – or playing. It’s the same word in Spanish.
El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza declined to comment on the situation but conveyed his thoughts through office spokeswoman Renee Railey.
She said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot has jurisdiction over gaming issues on the Tiguas’ tribal land, not Esparza’s office.
In opinion after opinion delivered to counties and cities, the attorney general opinions consistently state that if the machines pay cash, they’re illegal and in violation of criminal laws against gambling.
The 2012 opinion to a county attorney states, “Because the eight-liner machines described in your request issue tickets redeemable for items that do not constitute noncash merchandise prizes, toys, or novelties, the machines do not meet the standard for the illegal gambling device exception (provided by the Texas Penal Code).”
In room after room, there are hundreds of machines that look, play and pay a lot like slot machines.
You can put in a $10 bill and in a matter of minutes, lose it all or double your money and then take the machine’s payout slip to a cashier and get cash.
But sometimes, under the complexities of Texas and federal law, what may look, feel and pay like gambling isn’t gambling at all.
The Texas Attorney General’s office, which shut down the Tiguas’ Speaking Rock Casino in 2002 after a three-year legal fight, doesn’t like what’s happening on the tribe’s properties now and has tried to stop it.
In legal motions, the state calls it gambling. But no court has agreed.
The machines are not slots; they are sweepstakes validation terminals, the tribe’s lawyers contend. And no court has disagreed.
So, the games go on at the Tigua entertainment centers, along with free concerts by big name performers and bands, alcohol sales, good food and the cheapest cigarettes in Texas.
The free concerts put a big dent in competitors’ business and have closed down a few, said one venue manager who asked not to be named.
“It has affected a tier of entertainment and those clubs that are close to the entertainment centers,” he said. “Look at any casino in New Mexico. Anyone who does entertainment will charge for tickets to break even, and then make money on gambling and alcohol.
“Why is this the only back-door casino that has free concerts?”
Visit Speaking Rock on a weekday morning, and you’ll find a surprising number of cars in the parking lot, great 1960s and ‘70s music playing in the game rooms and a crowd of older folks sitting comfortably in front of noisy machines with cartoony graphics.
A lot of the patrons are women and a lot of them smoke. Ashtrays are everywhere. Serious players say they come two or three times a week, others once or twice a month.
“You win and you lose,” said one regular with $80 in credits on her machine.
On one morning last week, the half dozen players El Paso Inc. interviewed all spoke Spanish only, and agreed that they were having a good time gambling – or playing. It’s the same word in Spanish.
El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza declined to comment on the situation but conveyed his thoughts through office spokeswoman Renee Railey.
She said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot has jurisdiction over gaming issues on the Tiguas’ tribal land, not Esparza’s office.
In opinion after opinion delivered to counties and cities, the attorney general opinions consistently state that if the machines pay cash, they’re illegal and in violation of criminal laws against gambling.
The 2012 opinion to a county attorney states, “Because the eight-liner machines described in your request issue tickets redeemable for items that do not constitute noncash merchandise prizes, toys, or novelties, the machines do not meet the standard for the illegal gambling device exception (provided by the Texas Penal Code).”
2013年4月8日 星期一
Inspector backs Lincolnshire wind farm
Energy developer Energiekontor lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate against East Lindsey District Council's non-determination of the application for the eight-turbine wind farm at Gayton le Marsh in November 2012. A public inquiry was subsequently held in January 2013.
In his report, published late last week, inspector David Pinner found that the area's local plan was of "considerable age", contained no saved policies relating to wind energy development and did "not provide a realistic context for considering wind farm schemes".
Pinner said that the area's regional plan contained policies supporting renewable energy schemes whilst also aiming to protect the landscape, which was "consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)".
Pinner also found that the need to meet renewable energy targets was a major factor in allowing the application.
He said: "I have found that the scheme represents sustainable development and there is therefore a presumption in favour of granting planning permission in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework. The very recent UK Energy Roadmap Update illustrates the tough challenges of meeting the 2020 renewable energy targets and reaffirms the government's support for onshore wind."
"Furthermore, the 2020 targets do not represent the end of the process and the campaign to tackle dangerous climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions will continue for decades beyond that. Whilst failure to make the 2020 targets would be a major setback, there would be no harm in exceeding the targets if possible – that would be a good thing".
Despite recognising that the scheme would have some negative visual impact on the area, Pinner concluded: "I doubt that, in the short term at least, alternative technologies for renewable electricity generation will mature to the level that would be necessary to make wind energy unattractive as part of the overall mix.
"It is therefore my overall conclusion that, under these circumstances, the additional harm to the local landscape which would arise from the appeal scheme would be within the bounds of acceptability, especially bearing in mind that after 25 years, the wind farm would be decommissioned and there would be no lasting landscape impact".
East Lindsey District Council's portfolio holder for economic regeneration Craig Leyland said the inspector had "made the wrong decision".
He said: "Along with the community, the council put forward what we felt was a robust argument for this not to be approved. The basis of the argument was the impact these 115-metre turbines are likely to have on the local area, affecting the quality of life for local people and landscape. We are already looking closely at the appeal outcome and considering what options are available to us."
In his report, published late last week, inspector David Pinner found that the area's local plan was of "considerable age", contained no saved policies relating to wind energy development and did "not provide a realistic context for considering wind farm schemes".
Pinner said that the area's regional plan contained policies supporting renewable energy schemes whilst also aiming to protect the landscape, which was "consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)".
Pinner also found that the need to meet renewable energy targets was a major factor in allowing the application.
He said: "I have found that the scheme represents sustainable development and there is therefore a presumption in favour of granting planning permission in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework. The very recent UK Energy Roadmap Update illustrates the tough challenges of meeting the 2020 renewable energy targets and reaffirms the government's support for onshore wind."
"Furthermore, the 2020 targets do not represent the end of the process and the campaign to tackle dangerous climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions will continue for decades beyond that. Whilst failure to make the 2020 targets would be a major setback, there would be no harm in exceeding the targets if possible – that would be a good thing".
Despite recognising that the scheme would have some negative visual impact on the area, Pinner concluded: "I doubt that, in the short term at least, alternative technologies for renewable electricity generation will mature to the level that would be necessary to make wind energy unattractive as part of the overall mix.
"It is therefore my overall conclusion that, under these circumstances, the additional harm to the local landscape which would arise from the appeal scheme would be within the bounds of acceptability, especially bearing in mind that after 25 years, the wind farm would be decommissioned and there would be no lasting landscape impact".
East Lindsey District Council's portfolio holder for economic regeneration Craig Leyland said the inspector had "made the wrong decision".
He said: "Along with the community, the council put forward what we felt was a robust argument for this not to be approved. The basis of the argument was the impact these 115-metre turbines are likely to have on the local area, affecting the quality of life for local people and landscape. We are already looking closely at the appeal outcome and considering what options are available to us."
2013年3月21日 星期四
Observatory prepares for spring radar study of migration
With one eye on the federal government’s budget situation, Mark Shieldcastle, research director at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, is hopeful there will be another radar study this spring of the flight patterns of migratory birds along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Data from a study conducted in the fall is still being analyzed.
“We were kind of surprised by some of the preliminary results from the fall study – by how the birds were moving,” Shieldcastle said. “There was a lot more movement along the coast at night than they expected. They thought everything would be just going across but they are following the coast very similar to what they do during the day. You would think at night they are migrating across the lake but they found an awful lot of birds that are actually following the coastline to the west, just like they would during the day.”
The U.S. Geological Service provided two radar units and Bowling Green State University provided another for the fall phase of the study that began last spring but with only two radar units.
Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ohio State University, University of Toledo, and the observatory have also been participating in the study, which ultimately hopes to gain insight into whether the flight patterns would place the migrating flocks close to wind turbines that have been or soon will be erected near the lake shoreline.
Radar can give researchers a look at the patterns of movement and volume of the birds, their elevation, and how they’re interacting with the lake and shoreline, Shieldcastle said.
One question in particular needs to be addressed, he said: Are they flying above the risk zone – the area around the blades of the turbines?
One radar unit was placed close to the shoreline while the others were three and 15 miles inland. Preliminary data from the unit farthest inland are yielding another surprise.
“That unit had a huge amount of activity below 500 feet,” Shieldcastle said. “How that compares to right along the coastline we don’t know yet. But they weren’t expecting that much bird activity that low 15 miles inland. That can be a very important piece of information, depending on how that analysis comes out. One possible explanation is the birds are dropping in just like a jet comes in – on a long approach. That’s still up in the air until the data is analyzed. But it does show the birds follow a lower altitude farther inland than was thought.”
The Black Swamp Bird Observatory hosted a forum last year, inviting researchers from academia, government, and conservation groups, to update their peers on projects they’ve undertaken in the Great Lake region.
Participants also discussed how radar studies could be included with other strategies such as banding, counts, and acoustic monitoring in a cost-effective manner.
But the researchers also renewed their call for additional study of the migratory flight patterns along the lake before wind energy development is pursued. In particular, they’ve asked for a three-year moratorium on the placement of wind turbines within three miles of Lake Erie in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie counties.
BSBO staffers have been watching development at the Lake Erie Business Park, which has been promoting its site as well suited for wind and solar energy. Wind turbines have been installed at two schools in the Oregon City School District.
Shieldcastle said there has been research on the effect of turbines on migratory birds but most of the studies have been conducted in areas where birds are in active migration and some portion of the flocks are flying well above turbine blades.
Data from a study conducted in the fall is still being analyzed.
“We were kind of surprised by some of the preliminary results from the fall study – by how the birds were moving,” Shieldcastle said. “There was a lot more movement along the coast at night than they expected. They thought everything would be just going across but they are following the coast very similar to what they do during the day. You would think at night they are migrating across the lake but they found an awful lot of birds that are actually following the coastline to the west, just like they would during the day.”
The U.S. Geological Service provided two radar units and Bowling Green State University provided another for the fall phase of the study that began last spring but with only two radar units.
Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ohio State University, University of Toledo, and the observatory have also been participating in the study, which ultimately hopes to gain insight into whether the flight patterns would place the migrating flocks close to wind turbines that have been or soon will be erected near the lake shoreline.
Radar can give researchers a look at the patterns of movement and volume of the birds, their elevation, and how they’re interacting with the lake and shoreline, Shieldcastle said.
One question in particular needs to be addressed, he said: Are they flying above the risk zone – the area around the blades of the turbines?
One radar unit was placed close to the shoreline while the others were three and 15 miles inland. Preliminary data from the unit farthest inland are yielding another surprise.
“That unit had a huge amount of activity below 500 feet,” Shieldcastle said. “How that compares to right along the coastline we don’t know yet. But they weren’t expecting that much bird activity that low 15 miles inland. That can be a very important piece of information, depending on how that analysis comes out. One possible explanation is the birds are dropping in just like a jet comes in – on a long approach. That’s still up in the air until the data is analyzed. But it does show the birds follow a lower altitude farther inland than was thought.”
The Black Swamp Bird Observatory hosted a forum last year, inviting researchers from academia, government, and conservation groups, to update their peers on projects they’ve undertaken in the Great Lake region.
Participants also discussed how radar studies could be included with other strategies such as banding, counts, and acoustic monitoring in a cost-effective manner.
But the researchers also renewed their call for additional study of the migratory flight patterns along the lake before wind energy development is pursued. In particular, they’ve asked for a three-year moratorium on the placement of wind turbines within three miles of Lake Erie in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie counties.
BSBO staffers have been watching development at the Lake Erie Business Park, which has been promoting its site as well suited for wind and solar energy. Wind turbines have been installed at two schools in the Oregon City School District.
Shieldcastle said there has been research on the effect of turbines on migratory birds but most of the studies have been conducted in areas where birds are in active migration and some portion of the flocks are flying well above turbine blades.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)