The New Harvest

The following is a column by Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson:

Scientists have long debated climate change.  Now the debate has shifted course.  Whether or not climate change is real is no longer the question. 

The question we now face is: what can we do to combat it?

Farmers have always relied on the sun for the energy to grow their crop. Now farmers can rely on wind. Wind energy is lucrative, accessible and can bring an economic renaissance for rural America.

With growing concerns over climate change and the Environmental Protection Agency’s forthcoming greenhouse gas regulation, states have been setting their sights on the future through cleaner natural resources for power. 

In fact, of all the renewable resources, wind has proven to be the clear breadwinner. And it’s only getting better.

Several Midwest states have already taken advantage of wind resources. In the past, Kansas has lagged behind other states – but we’re catching up. When Governor Kathleen Sebelius and I teamed up two years ago only 3% of our state’s energy came from wind. By the end of this year we will be only the seventh state in the nation with over 1,000 megawatts (MW) of wind online - 10% of the total electricity produced in Kansas.

We’ll be the only state to have accomplished this without a government mandate.  The Governor has accomplished this with voluntary agreements from utilities.

Like every emerging industry, realizing the economic benefits takes time.  In Kansas, the time for wind has come. National wind mapping estimates show that Kansas has the potential to be a leader in wind production as the third windiest state in America.

Landowners with wind turbines on their property receive lease payments in the thousands, millions of construction dollars energize local economies, and hundreds of new skilled jobs have emerged.  Roads are revitalized and new transmission lines are built to support future growth. 

This is Kansas wind, clean and plentiful, and we are already on our way.

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