All the more reason for OPPD to shut the plant down PERMANENTLY and take the money and re-invest it in clean, renewable, sustainable, SAFE wind generation farms and the transmission infrastructure to interconnect them with each other and the grid.

Think of the thousands of REAL jobs (not TransCanada imaginary jobs) that would be created here in Nebraska manufacturing, transporting, erecting and maintaining several thousand wind generation units and the construction of the transmission lines, not to mention the income stream to farmers and ranchers for leasing the sites for each turbine.

Just think of it: A PUBLICLY owned utility that pays NO fuel costs ever again for its electrical generation, with the only cost being the up front construction (less than a new coal-fired or natural gas plant(s) to replace Ft. Calhoun) of the wind farms and transmission lines, and minimal maintenance costs compared to the annual cost of purchasing ever costly fossil fuel.

The only problem is the fossil fuel/nuclear crony OPPD Board members who can never look outside the box of their dirty energy paradigm. The only solution is for the voters of Omaha to start voting each one of them off the board as their term expires and electing new members who have the vision to see beyond the fossil fuel/nuclear model.

Let’s use the wind and the sun, maybe we just might be able to light up a Christmas tree. I’m tired of the clean power people. Nuclear power is clean. Maybe you would rather not have air conditioning in the summer, or your lights on. We have many clean coal powerd plants in the country also. have fun in your electric car, (powered by oil, coal and nuclear power) what planet are you guys from? God help us if you start getting your way. Every time I hear the enviromentilist talk it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I am a libertarian scratching my head at people who can’t figure out energy. Commercial wind will produce power at 3.5 cents per kWh. Nebraska has 3000-4000 MW off available wind state wide capable of generating $10′s of millons of state revenue and tax dollars. Public Power currently produces 6000MW so if we developed all the wind the price would go DOWN–supply and demand. And if Nebraska opened up the doors to allow power to flow INTO the state from other states there would be a thriving competitive power market for Nebraska towns and rate payers to buy their power. The powerlines across the state have plenty excess capacity or the wind developers wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t excess capacity. They won’t even begin to consider to build a wind farm without an available powerline. Nebraska rate payers send $500million a year to Wyoming–why I have no idea. Guess maybe we still owe them for letting us have Bob Devany. Energy needs to be about NEBRASKA’s energy independence. Honestly what in the world do we owe Wyoming for?? One other thing that blows my mind is Public Power says Nebraska has the cheapest “wholesale” power and rate payers lock on to that and don’t hear the “wholesale” part. Actually Nebraska’s “retail” electric rates aren’t cheap at all because Public Power is locked into this business model of centralized generation and distribution. My parents live in Norris’s footprint and pay 12 cents. I’ve had friends from across the state send me their bills and haven’t found much below Omaha’s rates at 8-9 cents most rural providers are above 10 cents and one I found was at 14.5 cents. Don’t take my word for it call a friend in another state and compare yours to theirs.The line losses from the generation asset to the end users is huge. Why not distribute the wind generation across the state allowing rural providers to reduce costs by eliminating the line loss issues. People who can’t get this through their brains are destin to pay 25 cents per kWh and still won’t have a plan or a clue. WAKE UP!