Nebraska

Northeast Community College is attracting students to a one-year course that assures employment in a growing field with median pay of $54,000 for work considered “H3”—high-skill, high-wage and high-demand.

“Wind energy has been and will continue to be a boon for rural America, providing financial incentives for family farms, broadening tax bases to support stronger communities, and creating jobs for hardworking Americans.”

A coal-fired power plant that has historically been a key part of Nebraska’s electricity network is being used less and less as grid operators turn increasingly to cheaper wind- and solar-generation power. Analysts say the Gentleman coal plant, which is almost 40 years old, is like many in states like Iowa, Nebraska, and North Dakota that are no longer cost-competitive. “These plants were designed to run at, or near, full capacity,” said a plant manager for the Nebraska Public Power District. “We aren’t doing that much anymore.”