MCCOOK, Neb. -- Don't expect alternative energy to be a cash cow any time soon, but a Nebraska bill that would tap in to wind power, generated on school lands, has merit.
LB1014, introduced by Sen. Ken Haar of Lincoln, Neb., would create a fund with money from wind-energy leases on land owned by the Nebraska Board of Educational Lands and Funds, which then would be paid out to teachers who were performing well.
Money from solar-energy leases and carbon sequestration also could be put into the fund.
Established in 1867, the Nebraska Board of Educational Lands and Funds oversees about 1.3 million surface acres and 1.66 million subsurface acres, collecting rents on 3,200 agricultural leases and 250 mineral leases.
Income from the land goes into the Nebraska Temporary School Trust Fund, which is distributed annually to Nebraska K-12 public schools on a per-pupil basis. Proceeds from land sales and mineral royalties go into Nebraska's Permanent School Trust Fund, which is managed by the Nebraska Investment Council, which pays interest income to the temporary fund.
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Tapping into a potential new stream of "green" income, in addition to the traditional income, seems like an innovative thing to do.
