Subsidies for wind and alternative energy, tougher penalties for sex trafficking advance in Unicam

April 22, 2015, 6:04 a.m. ·

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Nebraska would offer subsidies for electricity produced by wind, solar or other alternative technologies, and penalties for sex trafficking of minors would be increased under bills advancing in the Legislature.


A federal subsidy for wind power expired in January, leaving states to compete for wind power developments. Omaha Sen. Jeremy Nordquist is sponsoring a bill that in its current form would subsidize production of electricity by wind or other alternative sources by one cent per kilowatt hour for the first two years, declining to sixth tenths of a cent by year 10. By one estimate, the state would be spending $15 million a year on the subsidies by then. Nordquist said nationally, there’s a move away from relying on coal, which provides most of Nebraska’s power. "The fact of the matter is, everyone across the country is diversifying, moving away, moving more toward natural gas, moving to wind, moving to solar, to other renewables. We have two choices here, folks. We can put our heads in the ground, bury our heads in the ground, or we can start to put investment in the ground for renewable energy in Nebraska," Nordquist said.

Advocates often tout alternative energy’s environmental benefits. But Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte said more wind turbines could spoil the beauty of rural Nebraska. "Have you been to the Sandhills? Have you read Mari Sandoz’ ‘Old Jules?’ Have you read Willa Cather’s ‘O Pioneers?’ The descriptions of our landscape – of our sunsets. Imagine how those books would be written today if the first thing you caught your eye was a 400 foot monstrosity with a red strobe light blinking at night – rows and rows of them," Groene said.

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said with federal subsidies gone, it’s too late for Nebraska to get into the wind power game. And he said it was the wrong technology to bet on, anyway. "Let’s think of ways to get into the game that we know is going to be the game of the future. We know that it’s got to come from nuclear energy. And we know that there are safe mechanisms for the development of both fission and fusion. That’s where we should have our head. Not make-believing that $15 million or whatever it might grow up to be in little wind farms in little communities is somehow going to make a bit of difference," Schumacher said.

Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm said criticism of alternative energy subsidies was misdirected. "As we look at renewables and its criticized there are subsidies to make it work, none of our energy would work without subsidies. For example coal. From 1950 through 2010, federal incentives for coal totaled $103.9 billion," Haar said. Lawmakers adopted an amendment intended to end the subsidies after five years, unless extended by the Legislature. They then gave the bill first-round approval on a vote of 25-3.

Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers turned their attention to a bill sponsored by Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk that would toughen penalties against sex trafficking. Scheer said minors are brought into the state for sex in connection with sporting events such as the College World Series. Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln supported the proposal, saying sex trafficking is a problem in the state. "While it seems impossible to most Nebraskans to believe that human trafficking is present in Nebraska, facts show to the contrary, clearly. Law enforcement agencies agree that the existence of Interstate 80, coupled with internet sex advertising makes Nebraska especially vulnerable to human trafficking, especially in light of the vast amounts of money that can be made in this industry," Pansing Brooks said.

Among penalties that would be increased by the bill, the maximum prison sentence for sex trafficking of a minor would go from the current 20 years up to 50 years. The bill would also allow victims to sue the people who victimized them civilly, apart from any criminal proceedings.

Schumacher raised a concern that the way offenses were defined could be misused if there weren’t an exemption for parents. "If the parent says to the kid ‘Mow the lawn, clean out the barn, pull the weeds, or go to your room,’ okay, it seems to fit the definition of ‘Forced labor means services or labor that are performed or provided by another person and are obtained or maintained through physically restraining or threatening to physically restrain the other person,’" Schumacher said.

But Pansing Brooks said no judge would mistake a parent telling a child to do chores with the activities the bill seeks to prevent. Lawmakers gave the bill first round approval on a vote of 34-0. For NET News at the Capitol, I’m Fred Knapp.