Rhea Landholm, brand marketing and communications manager, rheal@cfra.org, 402.687.2100 ext 1025
LYONS, NEBRASKA – Wind energy projects in Nebraska generated nearly $2 million in tax revenue for local schools in 2017, according to a fact sheet released today by the Center for Rural Affairs. In total, the projects generated $3,065,623 in tax revenue that was used to fund schools, roads, and other essential services like fire and emergency medical services.
“Many people wonder what their community will get out of wind development,” said Lu Nelsen, policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs and author of the publication. “New tax revenue from a wind farm is something that benefits an entire community.”
“Fact sheet: Nebraska wind energy tax revenue” highlights tax contributions of more than 20 wind energy projects in the state through nameplate capacity and real property taxes.
The nameplate capacity tax is equal to $3,518 per megawatt of energy and is assessed on wind energy generation facilities based on their total potential for energy generation – an average wind turbine has a capacity of 3 megawatts. Real property taxes refer to collections paid on operations buildings, access roads, and the foundations for wind turbines. These taxes are determined by the tax district where the property is located.
“Wind energy has proven to be an important economic development tool for counties and small towns,” said Nelsen. “As Nebraskans search for property tax relief, wind energy expansion may be a tool for local economies to offset the need for additional property tax revenue. These new revenues allow officials to adequately fund local schools and other services without raising taxes on property owners.”
For more information and to view the fact sheet, visit cfra.org/publications.
