To the editor:

Lyon County is currently a hot bed for renewable energy development. Farmers and landowners utilize their land to power Minnesota, but unfortunately there exists a challenge in getting the sunshine and winds to market: transmission congestion.

Multiple developers are, understandably, vying for land rights to build wind and solar projects throughout the county. Lyon County has marketable resources — beautiful sunshine and strong winds. This has allowed the county to reap the financial benefits of existing renewable energy projects to the tune of roughly $150,000 per year.

Think of it as though you are driving down a single lane highway during rush hour. The road is filled with cars, and you are essentially sitting in a parking lot waiting for traffic to move. That is what Minnesota is currently facing with transmission congestion. Energy is being created from a variety of sources, but once it reaches transmission lines, it is unable to go anywhere.

This needs to change. Minnesota dragging its feet on building and improving transmission infrastructure is keeping our energy bills high and deters investment into Lyon County.

Make sure your elected officials at all levels know that we need to improve our transmission infrastructure to keep Lyon County thriving and to continue reaping the economic benefits of renewable energy development.

Nathan Dull

St. Paul

— Nathan Dull is field representative for the Minnesota Land and Liberty Coalition — a statewide non-profit organization made up of farmers, landowners, taxpayers, business and community leaders, and proponents of an all-of-the-above energy future.