LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

News Watch Home

Ulrich says American Wind Action trying to buy his OPPD board seat after group spends $50,000 touting challenger 

Credit:  By Cole Epley / World-Herald staff writer | Omaha World-Herald | October 27, 2016 | www.omaha.com ~~

A national political group with a pro-renewable energy bent is pouring $50,000 into an ad campaign to unseat incumbent Fred Ulrich from the Omaha Public Power District board of directors.

The campaign of radio and digital ads supporting OPPD Subdivision 4 challenger Rick Yoder began airing Wednesday afternoon, less than two weeks before the Nov. 8 election.

American Wind Action, based in Washington, D.C., is behind the ads that tout Yoder’s “experience to put Nebraska’s wind potential to work for us.”

Yoder, a sustainability consultant, has supported expanding wind power within the district since he began campaigning during the primary.

But Ulrich said OPPD already supports a robust renewable energy portfolio. The 30-year incumbent said he was surprised by the “significant” outside advertising. The subdivision includes portions of Sarpy County along with Cass, Otoe, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson Counties.

“It’s particularly unsettling that they’d try to buy that seat, since that’s basically what they’re saying,” Ulrich said of the wind power group. “I don’t know how that will go down over here. People are pretty stubborn, and I’m not sure they’d like being bought and sold.”

Yoder acknowledged that the late support from an outside organization could create perception issues among voters, especially because his campaign has been mostly self-funded to this point. But he said he has no quid pro quo arrangement to push a particular agenda if elected.

“Even though many of the people I have talked to are still a little skeptical about wind, it just makes sense,” Yoder said. “It brings in jobs, and it has the potential to reduce local property taxes.”

Plus, Yoder said, “we’re incredibly rich with our own natural resource (in Nebraska) that we don’t utilize as fully as all of the surrounding states.”

Ulrich said candidates in OPPD races typically spend between $20,000 and $25,000, but because his subdivision is primarily rural, raising even that kind of money can be a challenge.

Through Oct. 4, Ulrich’s campaign for the general election had spent $8,110, while Yoder had spent $6,815, according to filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.

By comparison, candidates Craig Moody and Tom Mulligan, who are seeking to represent portions of west and central Omaha, had spent $34,419 and $33,435 over the same period, respectively.

American Wind Action launched in June and has supported down-ballot wind proponents in states including Colorado and Iowa. The group in July announced it would support U.S. Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, who represents southwest Iowa’s 3rd District, with $200,000 worth of radio and digital ads.

The group “plans to increase the advocacy capacity and political strength of wind energy advocates in 2016 and beyond,” according to a press release announcing its support for Yoder.

“He understands that renewable energy, specifically wind power, will help lower energy costs for Nebraskans and boost the local economy now and for generations to come,” said Sam Enfield and Jeff Clark, two of three board members for American Wind Action, in a joint statement.

Enfield is founder of a company that helps wind developers find financing for projects. Clark is executive director of The Wind Coalition, a renewable energy advocacy group comprising large energy corporations. A third board member, Jim Reilly, is senior vice president for legislative and political affairs for the American Wind Energy Association.

Source:  By Cole Epley / World-Herald staff writer | Omaha World-Herald | October 27, 2016 | www.omaha.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon