The proposed bill, known as the Affordable American Energy and Jobs Act, aims to address rising electric rates in Nebraska by promoting the development of affordable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, and battery energy storage systems. The bill establishes a framework for private electric suppliers to enter into power purchase agreements with local public power entities before constructing energy projects. It also creates a list of best practices for siting these energy projects, which will be developed by the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment with input from various stakeholders. Counties that adopt these best practices will be eligible for additional revenue under the nameplate capacity tax.

Key provisions of the bill include the creation of the Affordable American Energy Best Practices Cash Fund, which will be used for educational purposes related to the act, and the establishment of criteria for protecting wildlife habitats and cultural sites during energy project development. The bill also modifies existing definitions related to renewable energy generation facilities and outlines new distribution provisions for tax revenues generated from these facilities. Notably, it repeals the original sections of the relevant statutes to incorporate these changes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 77-6202, 77-6204