Lawmakers pass Neb. wind energy incentive bill
Neb. lawmakers give final approval to tax incentive bill designed to attract wind-energy farms
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- A bill that would use sales tax exemptions to attract wind farms to Nebraska has won final approval from lawmakers.
Senators voted 38-2 on Wednesday to pass the measure, as a Kansas-based company considers developing a wind farm in Dixon County, near the Iowa and South Dakota border.
Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha says his bill is designed to keep Nebraska competitive with other high-wind states in the Plains that have offered tax incentives. Nebraska currently charges a sales tax on all equipment and materials used in wind-energy projects.
Nebraska ranks as one of the nation's biggest wind-producing states, but 26th in the energy it could produce with equipment currently installed.
Lawmakers rejected a proposed amendment that would have required companies to purchase Nebraska-made materials.
