In South Dakota, the shell left by mining past resources may provide the perfect environment to nurture the learning resources of the future.
   The Homestake Mine in Lead, closed in 2000, was first dug in 1876 when gold was discovered. Now the mine is one of two finalists for a National Science Foundation underground laboratory, the other being in Henderson, Colo.
   In October, Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation offering $19.9 million in incentives for an interim lab, in addition to the $15.7 million already offered for the permanent facility. The mine was owned by Barrick Corp., which in September 2005 signed over ownership to the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. The state money comes from the general fund, and would revert to its origin should no project be forthcoming.
   The Deep Underground Science and Experimental Laboratory (DUSEL) would not enter Homestake without precedent. Neutrino research conducted

Interstate Renewable Energy Council Renewable Fuels Association USDA Bioenergy Program Kansas Dept. of Commerce Missouri Dept. of Econ. Dev. Nebraska Tax Incentives North Dakota Energy Resources Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development

by 2002 Nobel Prize winner in physics Raymond Davis was carried out in the mine in the 1960s and 1970s.

   It has cost more than a song for Oklahoma's largest wind farm, the Weatherford Wind Energy Center, to launch, but FPL Energy LLC figures it's worth it. The 106-megawatt facility, about an hour west of Oklahoma City, could power as many as 44,000 homes, primarily through the lines of AEP-PSO, which has a 20-year purchase contract.
   Plans call for adding 27 more turbines to Weatherford's 71 existing turbines, and the spread's 3,800 acres (1,538 hectares) certainly can accommodate them. Such an expansion would bring capacity to 147 megawatts. While no power purchase contracts are yet signed, the promise is great for landowners, who can receive up to $5,000 per turbine annually. Such potential windfall takes on added significance in a state recently beset by drought and wildfires.
   Another wind farm, this one with over 151 megawatts, is being developed north of Lawton. Called Blue Canyon II, it also has a contract with AEP-PSO. Beaver Creek Wind Energy has embarked on a 150-megawatt wind farm in the same western part of the state where the non-stop wind once created the Dust Bowl.
   The Oklahoma Wind Power Assessment Committee says a model wind farm of 100 megawatts is projected to have a $25.5-million economic impact during construction, and an ongoing economic impact of $2.8 million per year. The cost from existing wind facilities is admittedly higher than that of coal-fired generation (about $25 per megawatt-hour as opposed to $11 with coal), but about 40 percent cheaper than gas.