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Rural Communities

As the wind energy market has matured and expanded, the jobs and economic benefits to rural, agricultural, and Native American communities have become increasingly compelling. This section provides an introduction to these benefits and how these communities can take advantage of wind energy.

Agricultural and Rural Communities

Rural America is economically stressed, and traditional agricultural incomes are seriously threatened. Wind development in these regions offers one of the most promising "crops" of the 21st century. The agricultural and rural communities pages provide information about wind for homeowners, farmers, and businesses; utility-scale wind (or land-based wind farms); the Rural Energy for America Program (or Farm Bill); and more.

Native Americans

Wind energy is not only compatible with Native American cultural and spiritual beliefs, it provides a new means to achieve sustainable Tribal economies. Wind Powering America's anemometer loan program allows Native American tribes to borrow anemometers and the equipment needed for installation so that they may measure the wind resource on tribal lands. By significantly reducing the cost of quantifying the wind resource on tribal lands, Wind Powering America expects that more tribes will be encouraged to install wind turbines. The Native American pages also provide archives of a quarterly newsletter, interviews with Native Americans who have installed wind power, and a video documenting the installation of the first Native American-owned, utility-scale wind turbine in Indian country, on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.