North Dakota Alliance for Renewable Energy pushes green goals

The North Dakota Alliance for Renewable Energy, whose members include farm groups and utility companies, rolled out its goals in advance of the 2009 North Dakota Legislature’s opening day Jan. 6.

The recommendations include a state standard requiring 10 percent ethanol gasoline blends and 5 percent biodiesel fuel blends to spur demand for homegrown biofuels.

“The view is if we as a state think these things are important, let’s require them,” Brad Crabtree, an alliance board member, said Monday.

Mike Williams, a Fargo city commissioner and a fellow member of the alliance’s board, said renewable energy mandates also would help reduce dependency on foreign oil.

Both concede that the deep drop in oil prices – with gas in Fargo at around $1.55 a gallon – and the global recession will make some of the alliance’s goals difficult to sell.

But they argue that public investments in new energy sources and conservation will save money in the long run.

The group proposes a 30 percent increase in energy efficiency requirements for buildings, and adopting Energy Star programs for appliances.

North Dakota is one of the few states with no building codes for energy efficiency, Williams said. The state routinely ranks at or near the bottom in energy efficiency ratings, Crabtree said. That translates into unnecessary waste, both said.

“From an economic standpoint, we’re just leaving money on the table,” Crabtree said. “It’s low-hanging fruit with very big payback.”

Utilities would be allowed to recoup their investments in conservation measures from ratepayers, under the alliance’s proposal.

To help finance initiatives, the coalition advocates spending $8 million from the state’s Resources Trust Fund, which never has been tapped for renewable energy development.

The group also supports Gov. John Hoeven’s recommendation of $3 million in funding for the Renewable Energy Council and $2 million for a biomass energy grant program.

To encourage community-owned energy projects, including wind farms, the alliance urges incentives and other measures. A locally owned 40-megawatt wind farm generates $4 million in local income, compared to $1.3 million for one owned by outside investors, government figures show.

The alliance also advocates a series of steps to enable capture and storage of carbon dioxide from burning coal, including a state carbon registry and advisory council to expand markets for agricultural carbon offsets, as well as participation in regional policy initiatives.