SWIERCEK: Bill would leave Lincoln without energy representation

Of the 679 bills Nebraska state senators introduced this session, the vast majority of them fly under the radar of public scrutiny. Most of them cover relatively mundane matters and few generate intense debate and public reaction such as those relating to capital punishment or abortion, for example.

But occasionally, a seemingly-mundane and harmless bill actually matters much more than you might expect.

Take for instance LB53, a bill to "change provisions relating to formation, territory and the operating area of public power districts." It certainly sounds mundane.

But if passed, the bill would eliminate Nebraska Public Power District's board representation for municipalities that receive less than 50 percent of its electricity from NPPD. That means if you live in Lincoln you could soon have zero NPPD representation and be denied a critical avenue to advocate for clean energy policies on a statewide level. Regrettably, LB53 is speeding through the Legislature and citizens and state senators are unprepared to understand the critical nature of this bill.

Americans broadly support clean energy initiatives – whether it's for new economic opportunities, national security or environmental stewardship. The problem is that the actual policies to implement clean and renewable energy are less sexy than campaign rhetoric. Those policies often concern public and private financing, building transmission lines and determining public power district representation.
So this is why NPPD board representation matters to you.

NPPD's territory covers the entire state of Nebraska with the exception of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. NPPD is a public corporation and political subdivision that earns its revenue through wholesale power agreements with 52 towns and 25 rural public power districts – all of whom rely solely on NPPD for their power. NPPD also sells power to 80 communities who rely on NPPD for a portion of their power needs.

Put simply, NPPD controls policy directions for the bulk of Nebraska's energy usage. But more particularly, NPPD will determine whether or not Nebraska takes advantage of its wind potential and develops and improves upon the necessary infrastructure to make wind energy a reality.

Of the energy NPPD consumes, 59 percent of its energy comes from coal plants, nearly 23 percent from nuclear plants and two and a half percent each from hydro plants and gas and oil plants. Only one percent of NPPD's electricity is generated by wind power.
NPPD's limited usage of wind turbines is surprising, particularly in light of Nebraska's potential – ranked sixth in the nation – to harness wind energy. Even then-Gov. Mike Johanns, speaking at the first Nebraska Wind Energy Forum, expressed his support for wind energy, exclaiming that Nebraska is "the Saudi Arabia of wind."

Unfortunately the strongest voices for wind energy on the board of NPPD have been those folks representing Lancaster County. And they're the ones whose seats would be eliminated should LB53 pass.

Currently the NPPD board of directors is made up of eleven members, two of whom are from Lancaster County. The 2010 census will show an increase in Lancaster County's population and likely earn Lincoln citizens one additional seat on the NPPD board.

NPPD, predominantly comprised of rural Nebraska counties, recently approached Sen. Deb Fischer of Valentine, who represents a vast swath of the Sandhills and north-central Nebraska, to introduce a bill to restructure its board of directors. Advocates for LB53's restructuring argue that board representation should be limited to retail customers who purchase 50 percent or more of its electricity from NPPD.

This not-too-veiled political move, arising before Lincoln gains an additional board seat, is a power play to eliminate all of the city's NPPD representation. Although Lincolnites have Lincoln Electrical System, it is not represented by popularly-elected officials but rather by political appointees. Lincoln essentially wouldn't have elected officials representing them in public power districts.

But it's not just a matter of whether officials are popularly-elected or not.
LES is NPPD's second largest customer, purchasing approximately 30 percent of its power from NPPD – about $40 million each year. Furthermore, public power policy is not only important to ratepayers, but also to the economy and the people the power district serves, as spelled out under a 1986 law.

If LB53 passes, Lincolnites, who comprise a vast plurality of southeast Nebraska's population, will have no say over critical NPPD policy.

This doesn't just include advocacy for wind energy, but also comprises decisions as to whether nearby coal-fired plants near Lincoln should be expanded.

Unfortunately it appears that LB53 is speeding through the legislature at the moment. The bill passed its first route of voting on Friday by a vote of 36-2 after Sen. Ken Haar led an unsuccessful attempt at a filibuster. The bill will soon move to select file for a second route of floor debate.

For a bill that will have a substantial impact on Lincolnites, it's surprising how Lancaster County senators voted on Friday.

Sen. Kathy Campbell, Sen. Colby Coash and Sen. Amanda McGill didn't vote. Sen. Tony Fulton, Sen. Danielle Nantkes and Sen. Norm Wallman voted to advance the bill.

These senators should strongly reconsider LB53, which will strip Lancaster citizens of representation on the NPPD board and support an interim study so citizens and senators know the bill's full ramifications.

Fortunately there is still time for citizens to voice their opposition to the bill and encourage our senators to avoid the rush to pass LB53.

Nic Swiercek is a Graduate History Student. reach him at nicswiercek@dailynebraskan.com.