Elevated Role for Nebraska's Energy Office

Op-Ed

Elevated Role for Nebraska's Energy Office

By Governor Dave Heineman

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

Our state and nation are at a critical point in discussions about the future of energy use in the United States. The challenges presented by rising oil and gas prices have driven home the need for a more diverse energy portfolio that includes clean, reliable and renewable sources of energy.

I recently made the decision that it was time for those who work each day on these issues for our state to play a bigger role in helping state government and our partners in the private sector advance wise energy strategies for our state. The Nebraska Energy Office was made a stand-alone agency within state government, with Neil Moseman joining my cabinet as the new director.

Neil has served as assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture since December 2006 and he has taken on additional duties as an advisor on agriculture, natural resources and environmental issues in the Governor's Policy Research Office for the past several months. He has extensive experience dealing with energy policy issues, including his work with the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

Here in Nebraska, our opportunities to develop renewable energy sources are tied to our strong agriculture industry. There are new opportunities for agriculture to play a larger role in the development of renewable energy.

Neil's experience on agriculture policy and energy issues at both the state and federal level will be a great asset as we move forward in finding new ways to develop Nebraska's stake in renewable energy production.

The Energy Office was created in 1977 to promote the efficient, economically-viable and environmentally-responsible use of energy in Nebraska. Since 1991, it has operated as a division of the Governor's Office and with the start of the new fiscal year, will now be run as a stand-alone agency.

The office advises state leaders on energy policy issues and manages several programs, including dispersing federal Department of Energy grants and funds. It also partners with Nebraska's lending institutions to provide low-interest loans to help residents and businesses install energy upgrades and make improvements to homes, buildings and transportation infrastructure in our state. The office also provides support for Nebraska's wind energy work group and national organizations such as the Governors' Ethanol Coalition.

Making the Nebraska Energy Office a cabinet-level agency presents an opportunity to take our energy efforts to the next level. This is a positive change as we advance energy policy here at home and as our country develops comprehensive policies at the federal level.

Our nation needs a renewable energy portfolio that encourages innovation and new research. States are leading the way in the renewable energy movement by putting materials available in their own backyards to work.

While ethanol is one of our state's most successful value-added ag product, Nebraska's renewable energy sector is expanding to include construction of methane digesters that produce electricity while also greatly reducing odors from livestock waste, opportunities to harness wind power, and research to help make ethanol produced from native grasses and other sources commercially-viable in the years ahead.

The Nebraska Energy Office has an important role to play in fostering new growth in our renewable energy industry and help our state remain a leader in clean energy technologies. I look forward to the progress we can make in energy efficiency, conservation and renewable fuel production to help secure our energy future.

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