Huge potential for clean, safe, reliable, cost-effective wind power expansion in Nebraska

NREL map of huge wind power potential in NebraskaAs Missouri River floodwaters lapping at the buildings of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant raise the specter of a catastrophic radioactivity release on the Great Plains, one wonders, are there alternatives for electricity in the Cornhusker State? Why yes indeed. Nebraska already has had some wind power generation for over a decade, but the potential is there for a huge expansion. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab has documented the potential for up to 7,800 Megawatts-electric of new wind power in Nebraska. Assuming predominantly local, public ownership (high Community-Based Energy Development, C-BED) -- a Nebraska tradition that will benefit the Omaha Public Power District and the Nebraska Public Power District), the direct impacts of 7,800 MW-e of new wind in Nebraska would include: 17,795 short term jobs during construction-period employment; $3.238 billion (yes, billion with a B!) in construction-period economic output; 2,269 operations-period employment (long-term jobs); $255 million per year of operations-period economic output. In terms of total impact (direct, indirect, and induced), the potential benefits to Nebraska from a wind power expansion are even more lucrative: 36,508 short term jobs during construction-period employment; 4,038 operations-period employment (long-term jobs); 2,925 average annual employment impacts (jobs supported on average over the facility's lifetime); $14 million per year of average property tax revenues; and lifetime economic output of $14.1 billion (yes, with B!). Compare that with just 1,330 MW-e of nuclear generated electricity in Nebraska, of which Ft. Calhoun's 500 MW-e has been shut down since April for safety reasons due to the Missouri River's historic flooding, and Cooper's 830 MW-e should be shut down immediately for safety's sake as well.