http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/energy-legislation-pending-at-the-statehouse http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/energy-legislation-pending-at-the-statehouse Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/environmentalists-fight-for-renewable-energy-requirements DES MOINES — Environmentalists http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/environmentalists-fight-for-renewable-energy-requirements Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/iowa-house-rejects-renewable-energy-requirement-for-coal-fired-power-plants DES MOINES --- Environmentalists had hoped that if a new coal-fired power plant like the one proposed near Waterloo had to be built in Iowa it would at least be required to get some of its energy from renewable sources.But an Iowa House committee has scrapped the idea after concerns about the cost to the industry.A measure killed in the House Commerce Committee would have required so-called "merchant" coal plants, or energy wholesalers, either to generate, provide or purchase 8 percent of the capacity of the plant from renewable sources.Those who voted against the mandate, which had been approved in the Iowa Senate as part of larger energy bill, said it was unfair and would be too expensive for the plants.Nathaniel Baer, an advocate and lobbyist for Environment Iowa, believes they still should have to meet the standard."If they're going to contribute to the problem of global warming, they should also be contributing to the solutions of global warming," Baer said.LS Power has proposed a $1.3 billion coal-fired merchant plant near Waterloo.The company is describing the plant as a state-of-the-art facility with technologies to control emissions. The plant will create 100 jobs and is expected to have a significant economic impact on the Waterloo area.Baer said the coal-fired plant, besides contributing to global warming, will emit other forms of pollution.They include sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain, nitrous oxide that causes smog, and mercury, which can contaminate water, he said.Under the measure that was stripped out of the larger energy bill, a share of the merchant plants' revenues also would have been devoted to the Center for Energy & Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa and other energy programs.But Rep. Chuck Soderberg, R-Le Mars, who led efforts to remove the mandate for merchant plants, said it was far above the renewable energy mandate for investor-owned utilities in the state. Those utilities can recover the extra expenses from the mandates through rate increases, unlike merchant plants, which sell energy on the open market, opponents of the mandate say."The merchant plant has to be competitive with the whole power plant industry," Soderberg said. He works for the Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative, which provides power to that part of the state.State Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, was disappointed the renewable standard was removed from the bill.He called the standard minimal for a state that is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become a leader in renewable energy."Some people are viewing this as a way to stop LS Power from coming to Waterloo, but it couldn't be further from the truth. We think that any power plant built in Iowa ought to be held to the same standards as Iowa companies are," Dotzler said.He suspects the Senate won't go along with the changes."The energy industry has to evolve," Dotzler said. "They're going to have to change. They can't be stuck in their old, provincial ways of thinking, and we've got to move to renewable fuels just for national security and our own health."Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, lent his support Friday to the idea of a renewable energy standard."I hope the House will address this concern and hold merchant power plants to the same renewable energy standards as other Iowa electric utilities," Culver said in a statement. "Our goal should always be to increase use of Iowa's vast renewable energy resources and to maintain our leadership in today's new energy economy."Mark Milburn, LS Power's project manager, said the company remains committed to exploring the use of renewable energy at the Waterloo site.But he said it would be difficult to pass on the additional costs of a renewable energy mandate to LS Power's customers because the company is a wholesaler of energy that sells on the open market."If we had a mandate for a certain percentage of renewable energy, there's no guarantees that our customers would want to buy it. So why would we generate it if nobody's going to use it?" Milburn said.The company is open to the idea of supporting research at state universities, Milburn said, but does not think it should be a mandate.Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, is concerned about the environmental impact and the potential health effects of surrounding residents. She thinks many state lawmakers don't understand the issue because it is not confronting their districts."You've got to be conscious of the damage that they do," Berry said of coal-fired plants.Milburn disputes the idea the plant could have detrimental health effects to local residents. The company is looking at how it could incorporate renewable energy such as biomass, so it can reduce overall emissions, in particular carbon dioxide."The emissions from this plant will be magnitudes lower than older plants that have been operating for 30, 40, 50 years throughout the state," Milburn said.  As a company, LS is doing things in Iowa to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he said, as well as looking at opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."We're looking at investing in those technologies and in research," he said. http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/iowa-house-rejects-renewable-energy-requirement-for-coal-fired-power-plants Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/house-panel-kills-renewable-energy-mandate DES MOINES -- Environmentalists had hoped that if a new coal-fired power plant were built in Iowa it would at least be required to get some of its energy from renewable sources.But an Iowa House committee has scrapped the idea after concerns about the cost to the industry.A measure killed in the House Commerce Committee would have required so-called "merchant" coal plants, or energy wholesalers, either to generate, provide or purchase 8 percent of the capacity of the plant from renewable sources.Those who voted against the mandate, which had been approved in the Iowa Senate as part of larger energy bill, said it was unfair and would be too expensive for the plants.Nathaniel Baer, an advocate and lobbyist for Environment Iowa, believes they still should have to meet the standard."If they're going to contribute to the problem of global warming, they should also be contributing to the solutions of global warming," Baer said.LS Power has proposed a $1.3 billion coal-fired merchant plant near Waterloo.The company is describing the plant as a state-of-the-art facility with technologies to control emissions. The plant will create 100 jobs and is expected to have a significant economic impact on the Waterloo area.Baer said the coal-fired plant, besides contributing to global warming, will emit other forms of pollution.They include sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain, nitrous oxide that causes smog, and mercury, which can contaminate water, he said.Under the measure that was stripped out of the larger energy bill, a share of the merchant plants' revenues also would have been devoted to the Center for Energy & Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa and other energy programs.But Rep. Chuck Soderberg, R-Le Mars, who led efforts to remove the mandate for merchant plants, said it was far above the renewable energy mandate for investor-owned utilities in the state. Those utilities can recover the extra expenses from the mandates through rate increases, unlike merchant plants, which sell energy on the open market, opponents of the mandate say."The merchant plant has to be competitive with the whole power plant industry," Soderberg said.He works for the Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative.State Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, was disappointed the renewable standard was removed from the bill.He called the standard minimal for a state that is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become a leader in renewable energy."Some people are viewing this as a way to stop LS Power from coming to Waterloo, but it couldn't be further from the truth. We think that any power plant built in Iowa ought to be held to the same standards as Iowa companies are," Dotzler said.He suspects the Senate won't go along with the changes."The energy industry has to evolve," Dotzler said. "They're going to have to change. They can't be stuck in their old, provincial ways of thinking, and we've got to move to renewable fuels just for national security and our own health."Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, lent his support Friday to the idea of a renewable energy standard."I hope the House will address this concern and hold merchant power plants to the same renewable energy standards as other Iowa electric utilities," Culver said in a statement. "Our goal should always be to increase use of Iowa's vast renewable energy resources and to maintain our leadership in today's new energy economy."Mark Milburn, LS Power's project manager, said the company remains committed to exploring the use of renewable energy at the Waterloo site.But he said it would be difficult to pass on the additional costs of a renewable energy mandate to LS Power's customers because the company is a wholesaler of energy that sells on the open market."If we had a mandate for a certain percentage of renewable energy, there's no guarantees that our customers would want to buy it. So why would we generate it if nobody's going to use it?" Milburn said.The company is open to the idea of supporting research at state universities, Milburn said, but does not think it should be a mandate.Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, is concerned about the environmental impact and the potential health effects of surrounding residents. She thinks many state lawmakers don't understand the issue because it is not confronting their districts."You've got to be conscious of the damage that they do," Berry said of coal-fired plants.Milburn disputes the idea the plant could have detrimental health effects to local residents. The company is looking at how it could incorporate renewable energy such as biomass, so it can reduce overall emissions, in particular carbon dioxide."The emissions from this plant will be magnitudes lower than older plants that have been operating for 30, 40, 50 years throughout the state," Milburn said.As a company, LS is doing things in Iowa to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he said, as well as looking at opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."We're looking at investing in those technologies and in research," he said. http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/house-panel-kills-renewable-energy-mandate Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/energy-debate-centers-on-coal-fired-power-plant DES MOINES —  Environmentalists had hoped that if http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/energy-debate-centers-on-coal-fired-power-plant Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/renewable-energy-measure-taken-out-of-house-bill DES MOINES - Environmentalists had hoped that if a new coal-fired power http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/renewable-energy-measure-taken-out-of-house-bill Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-wants-clean-energy-pledges http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-wants-clean-energy-pledges Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:25:44 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/public-interest-group-looks-at-environmental-issues-in-new-way The Iowa Public Interest Group, a consumer and public-health advocacy group, is organizing its environmental issues under a new banner, "Environment Iowa." Spokesman Nathaniel Baer says they're calling for a change in where Iowa gets its power. He says while the federal government gives billions in subsidies for fossil-fuel and nuclear power, it's time for lawmakers to look at more renewable sources.The group supports shifting some of those subsidies away from Big Oil and into research and development for renewable energy and energy efficiency, and will work with Iowa's congressional delegation to make it happen. Baer says right now Iowa gets 85-percent of its electricity from coal, ten-percent from nuclear generating, and only five-percent from renewable sources. Baer says moving away from dependence on fossil fuels will benefit the economy, the environment, and consumers. The group's calling for Iowa to get 20-percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020. Baer says renewable resources have far more benefits than we're currently tapping into. He says we could generate up to 17 times the electricity we currently use with renewable energy in Iowa. "There's a lot of room for growth," Baer says, "and this growth would help reduce all of those harmful emissions from fossil fuels." He says it would also create jobs and other consumer benefits. Baer says investing in wind energy and solar power would not only cut dependence on coal and oil, it would diversify the market and save money from fluctuations in market prices. http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/public-interest-group-looks-at-environmental-issues-in-new-way Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-seeks-clean-energy-standard DES MOINES — A coalition of environmental, health, farm and religious groups Wednesday called for setting a clean energy standard by 2020 that would req u i r e 2 0 p e r cent of Iowa’s electricity be generated f r o m wind, solar and other renewable sources.Nathaniel Baer of Environment Iowa said advocates are optimistic that the Democratic- controlled 82nd General Assembly will look favorably on a renewable energy standard for electricity similar to one for ethanol that lawmakers approved last session. Backers said Iowa relies too heavily on coal, oil, gas and nuclear power to generate 95 percent of its electricity.‘‘It’s time for the Legislature to act so that our economy can tap our vast potential for wind, solar and biomass,’’ Baer said at a Statehouse news conference.To bolster the proposed initiative, Environment Iowa released a report indicating that ‘‘clean energy policies’’ could save Iowa consumers nearly $1.1 billion cumulatively on energy costs, create more than 5,000 jobs and significantly reduce fossil-fuel pollution by 2020.Reaping that benefit, however, likely would require an annual investment of up to $100 million over the next 14 years through state appropriations, a charge to rate payers or some other mechanism to maximum energy-efficiency programs that would be administered through ‘‘publicly run and independently audited programs’’ rather than investor-owned utilities. Part of the proceeds would go for developing programs that would reward homeowners and businesses for investing in energy-efficient technologies.The initiative would replace the state’s 2 percent mandate for energy efficiency and renewable energy program, which is funded by utility companies’ ratepayers. Mark Douglas of the Iowa Utilities Association, which represents investor- owned utilities that operate in Iowa, said his members would have ‘‘strong reservations, obviously, about disrupting long and successful energy- efficiency programs’’ that generate up to $100 million a year for energy- efficiency programs that rank high nationally.State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, DIowa City said Iowa already is a leader in renewable energy production and that setting a more aggressive state standard could attract additional private investments.     http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-seeks-clean-energy-standard Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/coalition-calls-for-renewable-power-standard DES MOINES, IA - A coalition of environmental, public health, farm and religious groups today said they will push Iowa lawmakers next session to establish a clean energy standard that will require that 20 percent of Iowa's electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. The initiative would replace the state's current 2 percent mandate for energy efficiency and renewable energy program that is funded by utility companies' rate payers. The coalition, led by the Iowa Public Interest Research Group, released a report today indicating that clean energy policies could save Iowa consumers nearly $1.1 billion cumulatively on energy costs, create more than 5,000 jobs and significantly reduce fossil- fuel pollution by 2020. Nathaniel Baer of Environment Iowa said the coalition would like to see lawmakers commit between $50 million and $100 million annually for energy efficiency programs that would help the state meet the 20 percent clean energy standard. The advocates would like to see the new investment in energy efficiency be administered by publicly run and independently audited programs. According to the study, funding public programs with $50 million (annually) would overcome half of Iowa's projected electricity demand growth - slowing it to about 3/4 of 1 percent yearly. "It's time for the Legislature to act so that our economy can tap our vast potential for wind, solar and biomass," Baer told a Statehouse news conference. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said he was receptive to the concept of reducing greenhouse gas effects. "Global climate disruption is real. We've got to get ahead of it," said Bolkcom. "There's a cost to doing nothing." http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/coalition-calls-for-renewable-power-standard Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-urges-moratorium-on-new-coal-fired-power-plants2 DES MOINES — A statewide environmental group issued its 2007 legislative priorities this week, calling for a moratorium on building new coal-fired power plants in Iowa and giving local communities the authority to decide where large livestock operations are sited. Environment Iowa, a nonprofit, non-partisan statewide citizen-based research organization, also wants the General Assembly to set a renewable energy standard that would require at least 20 percent of Iowa’s electricity production to come from renewable sources by 2020, spokesman Nathaniel Baer said. ‘‘We’re optimistic’’ about the chances for getting priorities approved, given that a number of the proposals were discussed during the 2006 campaign, he said Wednesday. ‘‘We think these would make sense economically and protect our environment. It’s an exciting time.’’ Baer said his group also endorsed the findings of a legislative study committee that recommended the state dedicate a funding stream of $150 million over 10 years to protect and preserve Iowa’s state parks, natural areas and environmental programs.‘‘Every stream and river should be clean enough for fishing, swimming, and drinking,’’ the group said in a 2007 legislative priorities position paper. ‘‘We must not allow polluters to jeopardize our precious waterways.’’ To that end, Environment Iowa supported legislation that would:Give local communities the authority to decide where new factory farms are sited. Increase the distance between new factory farms and streams, rivers, parks and other important natural areas so that the farms do not pollute.Tighten the construction permit standard to require most proposed new factory farms to obtain permits, regardless of the number of animals involved. Environment Iowa also supports incentives for local farmers to convert conventional acreage to organic uses, establishing a comprehensive study of the quantity and quality of Iowa’s surface and ground water resources, and creating a plan for Iowa to assess and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Contact the writer: (515) 243-7220 or rod.boshart@gazettecommunications.com http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/group-urges-moratorium-on-new-coal-fired-power-plants2 Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/quotclean-energyquot-answer-to-iowa39s-pollution-and-energy-costs  Des Moines, IA (AHN)- Environment Iowa's new energy policies might not only save the state over $1 billion in energy bills - they could also reduce serious pollution problems and create close to 5,000 employment opportunities by the year 2020. Coal provides most of the state's power, but it also causes pollution from greenhouse gases, acid rain, and other dangerous particles harmful to the lungs. Redirecting Iowa's Energy report urges the state to mandate that at least 20 percent of Iowa's power comes from clean renewable energy. Pittsburgh is also taking the step into clean energy by purchasing credits from Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future and Sustainable Pittsburgh, which acquired its energy credits through Native Energy, a renewable energy company. The purchases will go toward methane digesters to be used on farms. In a recent interview, Nathaniel Baer, Environment Iowa policy advocate, said, "Now it's time for the Legislature to act so that our economy can tap our vast potential for wind, solar and biomass." Richelle Putnam - All Headline News Staff Writer.  http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/quotclean-energyquot-answer-to-iowa39s-pollution-and-energy-costs Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600 http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/clean-energy-policies-bring-jobs-savings-report-says http://www.environmentiowa.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/clean-energy-policies-bring-jobs-savings-report-says Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:54:18 -0600