A bill to set efficiency standards for renewable electrical energy sources in Montana -- and at the same time promote economic development in rural areas that so desperately need it -- is easy legislation to like.

Senate Bill 415, which passed the Senate 32-18, would require that 5 percent of the state's electricity be produced from renewable sources in 2008, 10 percent by 2010, and 15 percent by 2015. The sources are envisioned to consist largely of wind power, but can also include solar energy, electricity from biomass, and many other renewable energy sources.

The bill is separate from other legislation regarding adding ethanol to gasoline, but both are backed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

SB 415, an idea that already has been adopted by more than a dozen other states, is a rational response in a country that remains addicted to energy sources that are expensive, polluting, and, in the case of oil, dependent on foreign sources.

Renewable energy is abundant. Rural America can produce the biomass; nature provides the wind.

Development of facilities such as ethanol plants and wind farms will increase tax revenue and add jobs vital to rural economies.

And, wonder of wonders, modern conversion of wind energy to electricity turns out to be cheaper than most other traditional sources. A study of states with significant wind power turbines in place shows that they consistently lower residential power bills by a small amount -- roughly $2.40 to $4.60 a year. In addition, reducing demand for natural gas should lower its price as well.

The good news is that Montana, although far behind other areas in wind-power development, has plenty of wind. Montana is estimated to have the fifth best wind-power resource in the country.

SB415 is opposed by large power companies because it offers them extra work and no particular boost in the bottom line. But for everybody else, it's a good, smart deal.