Iowa View: Transmission line will connect Iowa's wind to the world

I have been farming most of my life. I understand the value of owning, farming, and living on some of the most fertile soil in the world. I also understand how important it is to have a mechanism to bring our products to market. Without a farm-to-market route, the bounty of Iowa's abundant natural resources would not be able to help feed the world, and farmers would not be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Iowa has another natural resource in abundance that needs to get to market: wind. With the seventh-best wind resource in the country, Iowa is poised to lead the fastest-growing electricity production industry in the world. However, you may have noticed wind turbines are standing still. That is because the necessary infrastructure to carry wind energy to market has not kept pace with the demand.

Investing in infrastructure is the best way to add value to a product. Corn prices increased when Iowa took the bold step of investing in ethanol processing, storage tanks, and other related infrastructure projects. Rising corn prices also attracted related industries, like equipment manufacturing and fertilizer plants, to set up shop in Iowa, spurring growth in rural Iowa at a crucial time. In much the same way, investing in the needed infrastructure to bring wind energy to market, like wind farms and transmission lines, will attract even more investment in our state.

Property rights are an essential element of our democracy. Another essential element, though, is the need to act in the public interest. Thus, on occasion, small numbers of individuals may be asked to contribute in order for the entire state to make progress. Some landowners may be asked to contribute to the burgeoning wind energy market that Iowa is leading by allowing access on their lands for wind turbines or transmission lines. I am confident that Iowans, with our can-do nature and our unique rural culture of working together, will embrace the forward path our state is on.

Iowa has always been a leader in energy production. Our renewable energy industries are the pride of many Iowans. Because courageous leadership in the 1980s led Iowa in being the very first state in the country to sign an alternative energy production bill into law, we have become the envy of other farm states. Now, our fuel prices remain low, and Americans benefit from the farm commodities that Iowa grows for liquid energy. Iowa has the opportunity to lead again. If our state commits to provide wind power not only for Iowa, but also the rest of the country, America's future will be brighter.

I look forward to the developments in the wind industry our state has to offer, and encourage all Iowans and legislators to consider this as the 2015 session begins. Once again it is up to Iowa to be a courageous leader.

CRAIG LANG is president of Windward Iowa, former president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and a dairy farmer in Brooklyn. Contact: calangfarm@gmail.com