April 6, 2007—Idaho Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter recently signed two bills into law to encourage wind energy development in Idaho. The first, House Bill 130, clears the way for wind farms on state endowment lands. Royalties received from wind power generation will directly benefit Idaho schools.
The second, House Bill 189, restructures the method of personal property taxation to ease the burden on Idaho wind farms in the early years of operation. Both bills cleared the legislature without a single dissenting vote.
These bills add to previous renewable energy legislation enacted in 2005, all of which were sponsored by Ridgeline Energy. Ridgeline says that the legislation “could help Idaho make the transition from a net importer of power to a net exporter.” Ridgeline has 49 projects under current development in seven western states, including Idaho.
