Iowa farmers looking to diversify their crop acres are finding it’s a breeze to squeeze more value out of their farmland. Sitting smack dab in the middle of America’s breadbasket, Iowa’s fertile fields and abundant grain harvests have helped feed the world and allowed generations of farm families to earn a living off the land. But in recent years, a new crop has sprung up across the state and added a new twist to production agriculture.
Acres of wind turbines are dotting the landscape in farm fields near Storm Lake, Clear Lake, Mason City and Albia. These high-tech wind farms serve as a welcome new revenue source to landowners and local governments. Consider that a farmer can receive more than $2,000 per wind turbine per year for 20 years in direct lease payments for allowing giant wind turbines on their property to capture Iowa’s inexhaustible supply of wind. In fact, wind farms in Iowa pay more than $640,000 annually to local landowners. In addition to tapping into an alternative source of income, these farmers are helping to engineer a steady supply of energy produced locally. The wind farms even lure sight-seers and tourists to the area, who generate cash flow to the local retail economy.
Wind energy is also good news for consumers. Understandably, I’ve gotten an earful throughout the last year from Iowans concerned about the rising costs of energy. Whether it’s prices at the pump or home heating bills, Iowans are watching energy expenses soak up a greater share of their monthly budgets. Harnessing the power of wind will help clamp down on energy shortages and soaring prices in the future. But the benefits go far beyond dollars and cents.
In addition to the economic impact, wind energy bears promising environmental and national security gains for Americans. Wind energy generates clean electricity right here at home. Every 10,000 megawatts of wind energy produced in the U.S. can reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 33 million metric tons by replacing the combustion of fossil fuels. This also helps insulate the United States from a restrictive overseas oil supply dominated by the Middle East. The nation’s long-running energy dependence on foreign sources of fuel plays a dominant role in U.S. foreign policy and military strategies, adding layers of burden to American taxpayers.
As a strong advocate for homegrown, renewable sources of energy, including ethanol, soy diesel and biomass, I sponsored the 1993 law that created federal incentives to give wind energy production a fighting chance to compete against traditional, finite sources of energy. Domestic wind energy capacity in the United States today generates more than 2,500 megawatts. This can power the equivalent of roughly 700,000 homes. Set to expire next year, I have introduced legislation to extend the federal wind energy tax credit for five years through January 1, 2007.
Called the Bipartisan Renewable, Efficient Energy with Zero Effluent (BREEZE)Act, this legislative initiative sends a strong signal to the wind farms springing up around the country. In Iowa alone, four new wind power projects are prepared to go online by the end of the year. They will join the 20 facilities already underway in Iowa.
Washington ought to continue on the path to greater energy independence by promoting wind energy production. Wind is an underused, abundant, and renewable natural resource. Tapping into it makes perfect sense. It’s a good investment in America’s 21st century energy needs.