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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
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GUEST COLUMN
Wind technology; dedicated sales tax update
By Rep. Paul Anderson
Recently, I attended an open house last weekend at the farm place of Jeff and Kris Stoen, who live southwest of Lowry in Pope County. A brand new 10kw wind tower was up and running, generating electricity the Stoens sell back to their supplier, Runestone Electric Association of Alexandria.
Jeff said that he had been thinking about a project like this for the past couple of years, and once he made up his mind and received the necessary permits from Pope County, the tower was constructed in about a month’s time. The tower, located behind their house with trees around it, is 120 feet tall and surprisingly quiet. On the day we visited, the wind was blowing at about 25 mph, and the noise level was quite low. A wind vane atop the tower turns the blades away from the direct wind if it gets too high. Because of that turning action, the turbine doesn’t completely shut down. According to literature supplied by company officials, the maximum electric generation wind speed is 28 mph. The cut-in wind speed is 5 mph, and there is no cut-out speed.
According to Stoen, the tower’s construction cost of approximately $57,000 is reduced by federal stimulus funding, along with a grant from the state of Minnesota. The electricity generated by the tower is referred to as “wild 3-phase power.” It runs by underground cables to a converter in the garage, where the power is changed to single-phase and sent out to REA and their grid. Payment is by a net-metering system, where Stoen will be paid retail price for the electricity he produces. He estimates about an eight-to-10 year payback for the tower.
It’s been just over a year now that folks have been paying the extra 3/8’s percent in sales tax for the constitutional amendment that raises dedicated funding for arts and the environment. Revenue for projects in these areas represents pretty much the only new state moneys available during this downturn in the economy. One-third of the money raised goes to the outdoor heritage fund, another one-third is deposited into the clean water fund, about 14 percent is put aside for parks and trails, with the remainder (about 20 percent) dedicated for the arts and cultural heritage fund.
The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council was established by statute to recommend projects that restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat to the Legislature. Eight citizens, along with four legislators, make up the council. Another committee also deals with environmental projects, but their funding doesn’t come from the Legacy Amendment. The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) works with revenue raised by the state lottery.
It’s estimated about $150 million will be available during the current biennium for projects funded from the clean water portion of the amendment. Seven state agencies will share the money, with the largest portion going to the Pollution Control Agency (about $51 million). The state Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) gets about $38 million, while the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority will receive $33 million. Others to get funding include the DNR, Dept. of Agriculture, and the Dept. of Health.
There is nothing stopping a lake association from partnering with a local unit of government as part of a grant application for clean water funding. The next round of applications for these grants closes Sept. 15. In addition, if a lake association has a project in mind specifically for restoration of native shoreland vegetation, there is another grant program for those types of projects. That application deadline is Oct. 1.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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