South Dakota representative Herseth Sandlin talks wind at Mitchell Technical Institute

A public-private partnership linked to Mitchell Technical Institute could promote the development of wind power generation and training for employees, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said Friday.

The Democratic congresswoman attended a closed-door meeting at MTI’s Energy Training Center and then discussed her thoughts on the alternative energy source with reporters. Herseth Sandlin also fielded questions on the massive Gulf oil spill, South Dakota politics and her desire to climb to the top of a giant wind turbine.

“This was a very positive meeting,” she said after the one-hour session with federal and state officials as well as representatives from MTI, East River Electric Power Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

MTI wants to own a large commercial turbine for its Wind Turbine Technology Program students to use for training, according to Julie Brookbank, MTI’s director of marketing and public information. It would cost more than $4 million.

If it’s obtained, the massive turbine — standing about 300 feet high with three, 90-foot blades — wouldn’t be kept on campus but would be located near other turbines and used for production purposes when not employed as an educational tool, Brookbank said.

While the meeting between the congresswoman, officials from two energy companies and state and federal government officials was closed because proprietary information was discussed, Brookbank said the plan calls for placing the turbine amid up to 100 others at PrairieWinds SD 1, located north of White Lake near Crow Lake. The project is owned by Basin Electric, and company officials hope to start construction this summer.

Herseth Sandlin said she feels well informed on wind production and didn’t come to MTI to learn more about it. She said her role was to bring people and agencies together to obtain the turbine for MTI.

The federal Economic Development Agency could provide a grant to help make the concept of a wind turbine for MTI a reality, she said, while in-kind donations, loans and other forms of financial assistance are being reviewed as well.

The school wrapped up the first year of its wind turbine program this spring; 44 students were enrolled and 23 will return this fall to seek a two-year associate of applied science degree, Brookbank said. Another 50 first-year students are expected to join the program, she said. It’s the only such program in the state.

The students are being trained to become service technicians who could work on wind farms in the region.

Brookbank said energy companies want to assist MTI because of its proven track record. The school has had a power line program for 35 years and has provided skilled workers for those firms in the past, she said.

“They know we produce a quality graduate,” Brookbank said.

Stacey Eddy, an experienced wind turbine technician, leads MTI’s Wind Turbine Program. That’s in keeping with the school’s policy of hiring educators with professional experience and ties to the industries who will hire its graduates, Brookbank said.

“We think MTI can produce the people,” she said.

Herseth Sandlin said she can help persuade the companies to work with MTI while lobbying state and federal agencies for tax credits, loans and grants. She also said she will be an advocate for a siting authority to create an energy corridor of wind farms.

“We believe this is a project that EDA should be able to find a way to support,” Herseth Sandlin said. “The potential is huge.”

Herseth Sandlin said she feels the state’s wind-energy industry is gaining momentum.

State officials are fighting through regulatory concerns, and tax credits for businesses can play a major role in developing the industry here, she said.

“I think South Dakota’s catching up to what our neighbors in Iowa and Minnesota have done in the past,” she said.

On other subjects:

* Herseth Sandlin said there’s plenty of blame to go around on the huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

“I don’t think the industry, or the administration, has handled it well from the beginning,” she said.

Herseth Sandlin said it appears with all other options failing, BP will have to dig relief wells in an effort to stem the flow of oil into the ocean. “It is devastating to the gulf region,” she said.

Her husband, former Texas congressman Max Sandlin, grew up along the Texas-Louisiana coast. He is an advocate for further biomass and biofuel development, a sentiment she shares.

* She said she is keeping a close eye on the next farm bill, with hearings set for next week.

Herseth Sandlin said she also focuses on veterans’ issues, particularly employment and homelessness. She said she remains a budget hawk who wants to continue to send a message of “fiscal discipline” in Washington.

She said she is encouraged by the proposed energy bill, which she said would create “green jobs” in South Dakota and across the nation.

* Herseth Sandlin said she’s eager for her re-election campaign to start but doesn’t have a prediction on the Republican primary Tuesday. Three candidates are battling for the chance to take her on, and a recent survey predicts all would give her a close race.

“I feel good about my chances,” Herseth Sandlin said. “The most important poll is on November 2. I’ve got a lot of time to get across South Dakota.”

She said she doesn’t know why, after landslide wins in 2006 and 2008, she faces the prospect of a closer contest this time.

“I never anticipated winning by those margins in ’06 or ’08,” Herseth Sandlin said. “November will take care of itself.”

* She said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem made a wise choice in selecting Republican businessman Ben Arndt as his running mate.

Herseth Sandlin said it reminds her of the “public-private” partnership that is being discussed for the MTI wind turbine project. Voters will be impressed by the bold move, she predicted.

* Herseth Sandlin held her press briefing in an informal setting in the wind turbine lab, where a photo of Eddy atop a 300-foot wind turbine is on display.

She said she wants to climb on one if an insurance waiver could be obtained. The congresswoman said she expressed interest in doing so once before — but she was seven months pregnant at the time.

“I would love to do it,” she said.

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