The South Dakota House failed Monday to override Gov. Dennis Daugaard's veto of a bill that would have refunded about half the construction taxes for large wind energy projects and an environmental upgrade at Big Stone Power Plant.

Reeling a bit from the news their new school won’t be ready until the fall of 2009, SAD 3 board members also received some good news Monday night. Supt. Barbara Mosseau said Steve Cole of Coastal Enterprises Inc. has informed her the district is receiving a $60,000 grant from the Cox Trust. The money will be used to assist the district in determining whether wind power will be feasible in the energy mix at the new school. The district is already eyeing a wood chip boiler and board members think a windmill would be a good addition as well.

As the Senate continues consideration of H.R.6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, the Senate Finance Committee approved June 19 a broad package of energy tax incentives, several of which were driven by Senator Salazar. The Finance Committee energy tax package helps further America's progress towards energy independence and includes two Salazar-authored renewable energy incentives which will benefit farmers, ranchers, small businesses and homeowners.

Sanford said he is not against government funding of research but said the stimulus package was billed as a "jobs" effort, and that the payoff wasn't worth what was advertised. "The question is, is that the way that we get our economy going?" he said.

The Senate on Thursday passed a bipartisan package of tax breaks and other steps designed to help businesses and homeowners weather the housing crisis. The measure passed by an impressive 84-12 vote, but even its supporters acknowledge it's tilted too much in favor of businesses such as home builders and does little to help borrowers at risk of losing their homes. ...Before passing the measure, the Senate added $6 billion in unrelated tax breaks for renewable energy producers, despite Senate rules that say tax cuts must be "paid for" with revenue increases elsewhere in the tax code.

Despite a potential windfall of $300,000 a year or more for schools, the Mineral County Board of Education will not take a position in support of the proposed Pinnacle Wind Farm prior to the September hearing on the project to be conducted by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Officials from U.S. WindForce appeared before the school board earlier this month to preview the project atop Green Mountain just west of Keyser, as well as the plan to divert about three-quarters of the wind farm's property tax revenue to the school system. Opponents of the project appeared before the board at the same time.

For the first five years, starting with last year, the 195-turbine wind farm's payments are primarily based on the actual amount that would be paid in taxes on the 140 Phase I turbines. Since the assessed value of the turbines is essentially fixed, a drop in combined tax rates would ultimately result in a smaller payment. Assuming the other major wind farm beneficiaries - the county and towns of Martinsburg and Harrisburg - choose to keep their levies stable, as well, the payment amount will certainly decrease, Mr. McAuliffe said. However, the extent won't be known until county and town tax rates are set in late fall, he said.

Just how tax payments from a windfarm development in Prattsburgh should be divided was argued this week before Supreme Court Judge Peter Bradstreet. No decision was made in a lawsuit filed by the Prattsburgh and Naples school districts against a payment-in-lieu of taxes agreement approved by the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency in January. No decision on the claim was made and Bradstreet's office said there is no timetable when a ruling will be made. ...But Premo said the town agreement was frequently referred to in discussions and documents setting up the PILOT. "This was structured in a way to divert money away from the districts," Premo said. "There is no indication they will do anything differently (in May)."

A disagreement over the terms of a tax deal for a windfarm development in Prattsburgh will apparently have to be settled in court. The Steuben County Industrial Development Agency refused to change the terms of a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement Thursday for a 36-turbine project by First Wind, formerly known as UPC. Attorneys for the Prattsburgh and Naples school districts requested a renegotiation, claiming the company should be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more in taxes. The tax agreement involves First Wind paying a fixed amount to the school districts, the town of Prattsburgh and the county over a 20-year period.

The Westfield and Ripley school districts, as well as some municipalities such as the town of Portland, have chosen to opt out of the tax exempt status wind energy developers are eligible to receive. "Wind farms fall under some tax exemption which taxing jurisdictions can reject (opt out of)," Peter Gross of Babcock and Brown explained. "This requires that we get a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the county, otherwise our assets would be assessed at their full value, resulting in a tax payment that would kill the project economics.

Two local school district claim they aren't getting their fair share of tax payments from a wind farm development in the Prattsburgh area. Charging deliberate attempts to prevent them from receiving proper payments, two local school districts filed lawsuits recently against the Town of Prattsburgh and Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, and other agencies. The lawsuits filed by both the Prattsburgh and Naples school districts allege the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the 36-turbine wind farm project creates a significant loss in anticipated revenues for the schools.

On the heels of hefty budget cuts, Grand Meadow Public Schools is now faced with losing thousands of dollars in revenue from wind turbines. Superintendent Joe Brown said his district expected to get $50,000 in extra revenue next year thanks to a tax on area wind farms. But a change to state law last year means schools would no longer benefit from the wind energy production tax. Meanwhile, efforts by area lawmakers this session to restore the tax benefits have met stiff opposition. Brown said his district, which is currently in statutory operating debt, had been counting on the wind tax dollars.

A disagreement over the terms of a tax deal for a windfarm development in Prattsburgh will apparently have to be settled in court. The Steuben County Industrial Development Agency refused to change the terms of a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement Thursday for a 36-turbine project by First Wind, formerly known as UPC. Attorneys for the Prattsburgh and Naples school districts requested a renegotiation claiming the company should be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more in taxes. ...The Prattsburgh school district is being shorted about $1 million, school attorneys claim.

Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen announced some extra funding for green energy systems in Scotland's homes recently, during the launch of a SCHRI-funded water-sourced heat pump at New Lanark Heritage Site. The £3m over two years will go to the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) to fund small-scale projects.

The lure of China's huge but underexploited market, the government's drive for renewable energy and low production costs for exports to fast-growing bigger markets in the United States and Europe have foreign and domestic firms rushing to set up wind farms or build production plants across the country.

Gov. Mike Rounds vetoed a bill Friday that sought to modify South Dakota's tax refund program for wind farm development, saying it would have unfairly provided large wind farms a better deal than what was offered to other construction projects. But there's a good chance lawmakers will override the veto when they convene Monday for the final two days of this year's session, said House Republican Leader Bob Faehn of Watertown.

The House voted 52-16 to accept the Senate's version of the bill, which would provide tax refunds beginning in January 2013 for wind energy projects or environmental upgrades at power plants costing more than $50 million. ...Current law gives partial refunds to large construction projects, but that law expires Dec. 31, 2012.

WASHINGTON - For years, the United States has looked to the sun and the wind as renewable energy sources. But legislation moving through Congress would authorize $250 million in federal grants to develop ocean wave energy. The measure would be the nation's first major investment in wave energy, which converts the rise and fall of ocean swells into electrical power. A related technology, tidal energy, extracts energy from the movement of the sea's tides.

You already drink shade-grown coffee, drive a Prius, and shop strictly organic at PCC. So naturally you're the best kind of customer-indeed a captive customer-for the ad blitz Seattle City Light has recently devised for its two-year-old "Green Up" program. Your latest billing envelopes have encouraged you to Green Up by adding a voluntary premium of as much as $12 to your monthly bill. For what purpose? To buy an amount of wind power equal to a percentage of your household's usage of cheap hydropower. "Participating in the Green Up program demonstrates your preference and support for clean energy and a healthy environment in the Northwest," says the city's Web site. "It helps promote economic development in rural parts of the region, improves our energy security, and reduces pollution." Really?

ALEDO - Wind energy is getting more attention in Mercer County. The issue was a topic of discussion at this week's regular Mercer County Board meeting. A Chicago area company is proposing a wind farm in the northern end of the county.