North Dakota Senate approves change to wind tax

The North Dakota Senate voted Thursday to change how wind tax revenue is distributed, sending more future wind revenue to the state general fund rather than counties.Senate Bill 2331 directs one-third of wind tax revenue to the state and two-thirds to counties for wind projects constructed after Dec. 31, 2020.Currently, all of North Dakota’s wind energy tax revenue stays with counties that produce the energy, while the state shares in tax revenue from coal and oil.The goal of the bill is to create a level playing field with other energy-producing facilities, said Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger. It doesn’t raise the tax on wind, but redirects where it goes.