Wind Power News: South Dakota
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Wind farms get tax break
PIERRE – The Legislature decided Friday that construction of large wind farms, electricity transmission lines and related facilities in South Dakota should receive additional eligibility for tax breaks after all.
Lawmakers had approved legislation on Thursday reforming South Dakota’s program of construction-tax refunds for large business projects and agriculture processing projects. That legislation included a $500 million limit on the project costs that could qualify for the refunds.
But there were second thoughts overnight that the cap might send the wrong message . . .
Wind energy tax bill dies
The South Dakota House defeated a bill to give townships a slice of the wind energy tax that now goes to counties for wind farms located within their borders.
Rep. Steve Street, D-Revillo, said townships should get some of the money to take care of their roads that might be damaged during the construction process or used later to get to the wind farm. He
proposed dividing the tax revenue based on the ratio of township roads to county roads.
The bill was . . .
White Lake listens to wind farm proposal
WHITE LAKE — Pickups lined White Lake’s Main Street Monday as area residents turned out for a Public Utilities Commission hearing on a $350 million wind farm that could forever change this city of 405.
Most of the estimated 125 people who filled the city’s American Legion hall were there not to comment, but to listen and to learn more about PrairieWinds SD1, a 151.5-megawatt wind farm north of White Lake near Crow Lake. If state and federal permits are approved, . . .
Big legislation on wind farms is blowing through Legislature
PIERRE — The Legislature is one step away from final approval for sweeping changes in South Dakota’s laws governing easements for wind towers.
The legislation would give landowners additional protection regarding easement contracts while also opening the way to mega-projects unlike any before built in South Dakota.
Among the provisions, wind developers would be prohibited from requiring landowners to keep easement contract terms confidential, and require a waiting period of at least 10 days from the time when an easement or lease . . .
School Board: No wind turbine planned for Central High School
A small wind turbine won’t be going up on Aberdeen public school grounds, school board members decided Monday.
The board heard an update on the proposed wind turbine, part of the national Wind for Schools program, from Bob Pitz, the school district’s director of operations.
Pitz said the tower the district could have put up through the Wind for Schools program would have cost about $3,000 and was for educational purposes only. It would have been shorter than 50 feet tall and . . .
Fargen, Olson propose changes to wind-energy leases
South Dakota landowners interested in leasing their property to wind-energy developers should have an interest in bills to be presented to the State Affairs Committee on Thursday afternoon.
Three bills that the State Affairs Committee has scheduled for testimony at 4 p.m. deal specifically with the contracts that landowners can sign for leasing land to wind farm developers. Two of the bills have District 8 state legislators as their prime sponsors.
State Rep. Mitch Fargen, D-Flandreau, has proposed adding several new requirements . . .
Potential wind projects outlined
CHAMBERLAIN — The turnout might have been small for a hearing on the proposed Prairie Winds project, but area residents’ words gave weight toward each potential site.
Western Area Power Administration, in Lakewood, Colo., conducted a public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement for the project, which would build 101 wind turbines at either Crow Lake or south of Winner. The hearing occurred at Cozard Memorial Library, Chamberlain.
Fred Weidner of rural Winner, whose property is in the Winner site zone, . . .
City Council passes wind turbine embargo
The Presentation Sisters will be allowed to build a wind turbine on their property after the Aberdeen City Council exempted them from a moratorium passed Monday.
The three-month moratorium prevents any construction, erection or installation of a wind turbine in city limits or the city’s one-mile jurisdiction.
The City Council had been considering an ordinance that would prohibit wind turbines within city limits and one-mile outside of town because of noise and aesthetics complaints. But city councilwoman Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, instead, proposed a . . .
Lawmakers want registry of wind-measuring devices
PIERRE – A state legislator wants to require registration of locations where anemometers are placed to measure wind speeds in South Dakota.
Rep. Jason Frerichs, D-Wilmot, said the registry would help crop pilots avoid the towers when they’re spraying fields from the air.
He said landowners in an area also would benefit by knowing who’s conducting research there for possible development of wind farms.
The legislation, House Bill 1155, is scheduled for its hearing on Wednesday by the House Commerce Committee.
The measure carries . . .
South Dakota officials debate lengthening time for developers to complete wind energy projects in the state
A bill that would lengthen the amount of time to develop a wind energy project to as long as 50 years meets with some concern by one industry official.
House Assistant Majority Leader Kristi Noem, R-Castlewood, wants to change the current limit, which is five years, for developers to have an easement — the right to use another person’s land for a stated purpose — on wind projects. The bill is HB1263.
Steve Wegman, executive director of the South Dakota Wind Energy . . .
