Correction: Maria Doerr is a program officer with Rural Climate Partnership and is the lead author of the report. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated her title and listed her as a co-author of the report. (2:32 p.m. PT, June 10, 2024)
Nevada's rural population
accounts for about 6.5% of the total state population, and nearly 100% of combustion power plant emissions in the Silver State come from rural regions.
A
Rural Climate Partnership report finds that nationally 36% of emissions are produced in rural America. Lead author and program officer for the partnership Maria Doerr said the emission impacts of rural America are disproportionately large for the population they represent. Emissions are created by the goods and services produced in rural places -- such as electricity -- that are then sent to urban and suburban communities. For rural communities, that means air pollution among other environmental damage.
Doerr said achieving the nation's climate goals will put a sharper focus on rural areas.
"That is why we need rural communities to be the leaders of change for themselves because solutions will not work if they come from out of state or from the coastal cities," she said. "Solutions must be coming from rural communities, and when they do they can both address climate issues and reduce emissions."
Doerr said rural messengers are critical for communicating the potential benefits of clean-energy development such as new local jobs as well as opportunities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have dedicated clean-energy funds for rural places.
Despite Nevada having what some might consider prime conditions for renewable-energy projects, the state ranks 15th nationally for production of renewable energy. Doerr said energy efficiency and electrification programs have not been prioritized in rural communities, which has left them behind in efforts to transition to a clean-energy economy.
"I'm hopeful about opportunities to help those rural communities lead for themselves to create changes," she said, "like bringing in more clean-energy projects that create local jobs, that increase grid resiliency and reduce energy costs."
Doerr said rural households spend 25%, or more than $450 dollars, more annually on household energy than their non-rural counterparts. Doerr explained that it is due in large part to the energy sources used in more remote places.
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Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state regulators greenlighted a key permit.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved the site permit requested by Xcel Energy. The utility is moving forward with plans to replace the Sherco coal plant site in Becker, about halfway between St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Two other solar arrays that are part of the development have already been approved, and construction began last year.
Katie Sieben, chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, summarized the significance of approving the third phase.
"It's certainly a very important project for Minnesota and the upper Midwest," Sieben pointed out.
Once fully operational, the company said the combined solar capacity would generate enough electricity to power more than 150,000 homes each year, on average. Regional utilities are under pressure to meet the state's goal of carbon-free electricity by 2040. Concerns from nearby landowners were brought up before the vote, such as the need to maintain vegetation around the site for aesthetic purposes.
Officials tied to the project stressed they are committed to long-term monitoring of plants and trees, in addition to special permit conditions.
Charles Sutton, representative for North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, called in to the meeting and noted the positive impact construction is having on the local workforce.
"We appreciate the company's work," Sutton emphasized. "Continuing to partner with workers and ensuring that these projects are built by highly skilled workers that are local, and that are being paid family-sustaining wages and benefits."
Over the winter, Xcel closed the first generator of the Sherco coal plant. The remaining units will be phased out over the next five years. Xcel said it is also working with the state and local communities to bring new jobs and investments to areas affected by coal plant retirements.
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So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional residents to pay closer attention to patterns affected by climate change, including weather disasters.
Science Moms bills itself as a nonpartisan group of climate scientists who engage with everyday people, namely other moms, on the need to address the effects of a warming planet.
Tracey Holloway, professor of energy analysis and policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the group, said a key point right now is extreme weather events should not be written off as typical.
"A lot of the disasters that we're experiencing wouldn't have occurred if it hadn't been for climate change," Holloway contended. "It doesn't seem quite right to use the term 'natural disaster' anymore."
Science Moms has a new ad campaign in Wisconsin and other states, referring to climate-fueled events as "unnatural" disasters. Engagement efforts like theirs coincide with public polling showing many Americans are worried about this issue, acknowledging climate change is underway. In a Gallup poll, only 55% of respondents said they think it will pose a serious threat in their lifetime.
Holloway pointed out the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts is a good resource for skeptics to turn to, or for those who are curious about what the data said.
"We are getting warmer but the biggest change in our temperatures is coming in the winter," Holloway explained. "Our winters are getting especially warm."
Even when some winters bring a lot of cold and snow, Holloway noted the cold is not as extreme as in past years. As for rain, the Initiative pointed out in Wisconsin, average precipitation has increased by 17%, or about 5 inches, since 1950. The Science Moms group hopes presenting the information will spur more conversation about the effects, and how community members can relay their concerns to decision-makers.
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By Bryce Oates for Resource Rural.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Resource Rural-Public News Service Collaboration
At the end of each growing season, Grand Rapids, Minnesota berry farmer Stuart Lavalier is ready for cold weather to set in, exhausted from the long hours and hard work required to grow high-quality strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and apples for local customers.
Lavalier uses the off-season to rest and recuperate, finding that, “somehow over a mostly, restful winter, the excitement of another year comes back like the first warm day of spring.”
The berry grower added an additional crop recently to his family’s farm when he installed a 27.3 kW solar array. In its first year of operations, the financial benefits are clear.
“We’re seeing a negative number on our electric bill,” Lavalier said. “We don’t have a huge electricity bill but the solar covers it. . . .We’ve been getting a check back each month of about $300.”
Lavalier’s decision to add solar to his farm began a decade ago while attending a statewide growers conference. He went in thinking about finding solutions for the usual farm production challenges in the Upper Midwest: drought, insect and pest damage, changing weather patterns, hail, wind, and more.
But along with valuable production-oriented information from the conference, he was inspired by a fellow berry grower to consider a different set of issues related to his farm’s future: the option of installing solar panels.
“That grower talked about how he wanted to give back, to do what’s right, to grow more on the farm than just berries,” Lavalier said. “People at that time were saying you’re never going to get your back, you’re never going to get the payback. But he said I want to make a difference. He talked about how we need to be thinking about the future. I thought that was a good answer.”
Doing something positive for the future spoke to Lavalier, who spent 32 years teaching elementary students. Installing a solar array didn’t just impact the farm’s bottom line: it provided a way for his operation to be more self-reliant. After seeing the benefit over time, he got involved with the Iron Range Solar Co-op, organized locally by Solar United Neighbors.
When he learned about a potential federal grant that could help cover 25-50% of solar array costs, Lavalier decided the time was right to go forward. Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), farmers and rural small businesses like Lavalier can receive grants and loans to support clean energy systems and energy efficiency projects.
Lavalier was awarded a REAP grant for his solar project, providing a substantial financial incentive to help meet his values for local, non polluting, decentralized energy production. “Once I knew I wanted to get solar on our farm, I found out about the REAP grant,” Lavalier said. “It made a difference. It made me feel comfortable going ahead, because then I knew I had that additional support to make it work.”
Lavalier, who received critical grant application and installation assistance from the local business Real Solar, hopes that his participation in REAP could help other people apply to the program. “Go ahead and go for it. There are great rebates and incentives. I’m looking forward to getting an EV (electric vehicle),” Lavalier said.
The berry farmer’s only regret is that he didn’t maximize the size of his solar array.
“I kind of wish we would have went bigger,” Lavalier said.
Bryce Oates wrote this article for Resource Rural.
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