Released by the 25' X 25' Alliance, The Energy Foundation and Harvesting Clean Energy, this report makes clear that community wind must be an integral part of the nation's energy strategy and lays out a set of public policies designed to grow local wind investment and ownership.

Specifically, Community Wind 101 finds:

The United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") is seeking comments from the public on its proposed strategic goals and planning priorities for climate change research, education and outreach programs.

Briefing reports on the feasibility of the U.S. Department of Energy report "20% Wind Energy By 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply" are now available online.

Read the recent report released by the Department of Energy that outlines how wind can support up to 20% of our nations electrical demand by 2030. The report can be found here.

2008 USDA Farm Bill

On May 22, 2008, Congress overrode the President's veto of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the "Farm Bill"). The Farm Bill is an investment in our nation's food and farm economy. It will ensure food security and promote healthier foods and local food networks, strengthen international food aid and reform commodity and farm programs, protect our natural resources and promote homegrown renewable energy.

This June/July 2007 article in Mother Earth News covers the basics of community wind and talks about the challenges to community wind in the U.S.

Click here to read the article on the Mother Earth News website.

This April 2008 report from the New Rules Project discusses how simple changes to the federal production tax credit (PTC) and SEC registration process for cooperatives could significantly reduce barriers to community ownership of wind.

Download the report from the New Rules website here: http://www.newrules.org/de/ptc-wind-ownership.pdf

The theme of this year's convention will focus on renewable energy economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

Ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, carbon sequestration, and farmer- and community-owned wind (technology) each represent a new renewable energy based market with new sources of revenue.

The Harvesting Clean Energy Conference is the Northwest’s premiere gathering for agriculture and energy interests working to advance new opportunities for agriculture producers and rural communities in clean energy production. Clean energy offers real solutions – financial and practical – for our farmers, ranchers, rural utilities and towns, tribes, and regional economy.

IRS bulletin 2007-45 (skip to page 967) provides a summary of IRS Rev Proc 2007-65 which establishes a safe harbor for the allocation of tax credits for wind projects that use a flip business structure.