President-elect Barack Obama has laid forth an ambitious energy plan focused on conservation and renewable energy sources that are environmentally safe. Is it realistic? Given the ways of Washington where interest groups dominate, it may be more than our political system can handle. In addition, new energy programs and tax incentives might be difficult to finance given our already large federal deficit.

Nonetheless, energy alternatives were a key part of Obama’s mandate in winning the White House — and he has a large Democratic majority on Capitol Hill ready to assist him in advancing his agenda.

Closer to home, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has offered a new Job-Z targeted on “green” industries — which would include environmentally sensitive energy alternatives. And, Minnesota’s mandate for power companies to produce 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2025 is already stimulating a surge of wind energy projects in southern Minnesota.

Minnesota already ranks third in the nation in wind energy production and fourth in ethanol production capacity. Clearly, further efforts to move our nation toward energy independence will create even more economic opportunity and jobs for our state. Here at the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we are working with partners to position our region to capitalize on these opportunities.

The Southern Minnesota Competitiveness Project — which includes partners such as AgStar, the MnSCU system, Region Nine and area Workforce Development Centers — has identified energy alternatives as one of the key sectors of future economic growth in our region.

Together with the Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation, SMIF has begun to offer seminars and technical assistance to community leaders and landowners to help them better understand the opportunities related to wind energy — especially Community Based Energy Development. SMIF has also partnered with a coalition to administer Department of Labor grants to help train workers for the renewable energy sector. In this regard, SMIF has offered a grant to assist the city of Faribault in attracting Moventas — a wind energy “gear box” manufacturer to locate along the I-35 corridor.

The next generation of renewable energy will soon be here. Accordingly, SMIF has provided financial assistance to the Madelia Project to develop a biomass facility and we have provided a SEED grant to a firm in Martin County to assist them in building a modular cellulosic energy facility. Along with SMIF, many other organizations are investing in the alternative energy as part of our region’s economic future.

President-elect Obama’s proposals may not all be enacted, but many will — and that will result in even more opportunities for economic growth here in southern Minnesota.

Tim Penny is the president of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. He represented Minnesota’s First District in Congress from 1982 to 1994.