NEWS

Williston Herald: State not getting as much benefit from wind energy boom as it could

Renée Jean - Oct 11, 2019

North Dakota is in the midst of a wind energy boom, but a regional labor union says the state is not getting as much economic benefit from it as they could.

There are nine major wind farm projects either seeking permits or in pre-construction stages across North Dakota right now. These will generate an estimated 2,435 megawatts of additional power for the state’s already impressive wind energy portfolio.

But right now, a large majority of these projects are being built with out-of-state labor, according to a study by Laborer’s International Union of North America affiliate Local Jobs North Dakota-Minnesota. That’s costing the state millions in economic impact, because local workers spend roughly three times more locally than non-local workers do.

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