A consumer rebate initiative funded by the federal recovery act starts soon and could save you money on new appliances and your energy bills.

Similar to last year’s “cash for clunkers” automotive rebate program, the Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate program gives consumers money back when they purchase new, energy efficient appliances.

Another benefit is that these new appliances – including furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators, washers and dryers – cost less to operate.

A total of $2.8 million will be available for Iowa rebates ranging from $100 to $500. Rebates are for appliances purchased after March 1 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Money is expected to be exhausted within two weeks, so if you’ve been thinking of getting new appliances for your home, act quickly.

Also keep in mind that the appliances purchased through this program may be eligible for tax credits, as well as additional rebates offered by your utility companies.

Learn more about the appliance rebate program at www.energy.iowa.gov.

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This fall, Iowa voters will have the opportunity to create a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. This would be a protected funding source for Iowa’s natural resources, soil conservation and water quality.

The Senate Natural Resources Committee recently passed Senate Study Bill 3198, which outlines how the trust fund would be managed. The bill requires an annual audit to ensure that all money is spent properly.

The effort to establish the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund is the result of three years of work by the Sustainable Funding Advisory Committee, which was created by the Legislature to find ways to improve state programs for natural resources and outdoor recreation.

Full story here

STATE SEN. MATT MCCOY, D-Des Moines, represents District 31. The district includes parts of the city’s west and south sides. He can be reached weekdays at 281-3371 and on weekends at 274-0561. E-mail him at Matt.McCoy@legis.state.ia.us. He also has a Web site: www.senate.iowa.gov/mccoy.

Ten central Iowa cities are applying for up to $25 million in federal grant money to create jobs and bring more energy efficiency to homes, businesses and government buildings.

The money would supplement federal programs like Energy Star and contribute to efforts to curb climate change.

“Our region has an opportunity to be part of a program that would bring energy-efficiency improvements to thousands of local homeowners and businesses,” said John Konior, assistant city manager in Urbandale. He is overseeing the grant application.

“This would provide for major revitalization of neighborhoods and businesses; create new energy service, home improvement, construction and related service jobs; and provide a model that could be continued after the 36-month grant period.”

The cities involved are Altoona, Ankeny, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights.

The grant is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy under the economic stimulus passed early this year. Konior said the cities should hear back in late February or early March.

Local schools and colleges would train contractors, and private lenders would provide additional financing. Retrofitting homes can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent, according to a report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

President Barack Obama told business and labor leaders at a jobs summit last week that he strongly supports job-creation efforts that would bring more energy efficiency to homes and buildings. Obama said incentives like those used for “cash for clunkers” – the program intended to help people purchase more-fuel-efficient cars – could “get contractors working again and generate more private activity.”

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie attended the jobs summit. He urged Obama to make more direct federal funding available to metropolitan areas and encourage private lending to add environmentally friendly, or “green,” jobs.

“We need to create value in our cities and programs geared toward energy efficiency to instill that value. It saves energy, it saves the environment, it improves public health and it creates new jobs,” he said. “We also need to sell the benefit and show the benefit to the private sector so there’s long-term, lasting benefit.”

Global leaders have gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the two-week U.N. Climate Change Conference, which began Monday. The White House announced last month that Obama plans to offer to cut U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

Konior and other metro-area leaders say efforts to limit global warming need to happen at the local level.

“Wind farms are great, but the bigger payoff is energy efficiency,” said David Osterberg, director of the Iowa Policy Project, a nonprofit founded in 2001 that produces research on the Iowa economy and energy and environmental policy “Every bit of this will be lasting, because 36 months down the road your energy bill will still be lower and MidAmerican will still be using less coal. And with 10 cities participating, that will have a significant impact that can be measured. This is the smart part of the stimulus program. It provides jobs that moves us to a different kind of country.”

Full story Here

Chu said officials will monitor the initial state spending before allocating the rest of the money, but that the funding — part of the federal stimulus package — needs to be spent quickly.

“I want to shove this money out the door as quickly as possible,” Chu said at a news conference with Gov. Chet Culver and U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, both Democrats.

Chu said Iowa is among the first states to receive the energy money. He planned to travel to Michigan later Monday to make a similar announcement.

Culver said Iowa has prepared a detailed plan for the projects and that he was confident the state would receive the remaining money from the Energy Department.

Read the rest of the story here.

The Democratic congressman has been wearing the hued goggles since he first introduced his green schools initiative during last Congress. The bill stalled in the Senate at the time.

The reintroduced legislation passed the House 275-155, with 24 Republicans on board, Thursday afternoon.

Loebsack, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, said he is working with Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a fellow Democrat, to get the bill passed there. The congressman said he modeled the legislation on a grants program Harkin put in place to help schools modernize.

To read more, go here.

Through Greater Energy Efficiency
 

Environmental Law and Policy Center Joins Partnership in National Coalition Advocating for Federal Energy Efficiency Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Iowa residents and businesses could save over $690 million on their utility bills if utility companies cut demand for electricity by 15 percent and natural gas by 10 percent by 2020, according to a new report released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The new national and state-by-state analysis of energy efficiency benefits was made public as more than 60 business leaders, industry groups and environmental advocates, including The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) launched the Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America, a coalition calling on Congress to enact a national target for energy efficiency (www.energyefficiencyworks.org).

“Making homes and businesses more energy-efficient will create jobs, save Iowa residents money on their utility bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the bottom line for Iowa businesses,” said ELPC Policy Advocate Andrew Snow. “That’s why we’re proud to join business and environmental groups in urging Congress to enact a federal energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) that will help us achieve these crucial goals.”

The ACEEE report found that in addition to generating utility bill savings, passage of a federal EERS could create 1,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing, and other fields in Iowa and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by 2.9 million metric tons. The measure would also eliminate the need to build more power plants in Iowa and prevent environmental risks associated with traditional power generation.

A national EERS would set a target for gas and electric utilities to meet, but allow states flexibility on how to achieve the targets through rebates and financial incentives for energy efficiency home improvements, use of energy-efficient lighting and appliances, combined heating/cooling systems and other measures.  Nineteen states have established a state EERS.

The Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America supports a national EERS that would require utilities to reduce electricity usage by 15 and natural gas usage by 10 percent by 2020. This proposal for a federal EERS is included in House and Senate versions of the Save American Energy Act (H.R. 889 and S. 548), introduced by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA-7) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), respectively. 

ACEEE’s economic analysis reveals that by 2020, the proposed federal EERS could save American consumers $168.6 billion, create 222,000 jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 262 million metric tons – the equivalent of removing 48 million cars from the road – and eliminate the need to build 390 power plants. Laying the Foundation for Implementing a Federal Energy Efficiency Resource Standard is available at www.aceee.org/pubs/e091.htm.

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The Environmental Law and Policy Center is the Midwest’s leading environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization. www.elpc.org

Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America is a coalition of more than 60 leading businesses, industry groups and environmental organizations advocating for a national energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) to help the nation maximize energy efficiency – the fastest, cheapest, cleanest way to meet our growing energy needs while creating jobs, saving consumers money, boosting American competitiveness and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, visit our Web site at www.EnergyEfficiencyWorks.org.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though the speech focused more broadly on three differing areas of Obama’s campaign platform, the environment regularly took precedence over health care and education, giving yet another sign that this administration’s approach will focus much more specifically on issues of clean energy and energy efficiency.

The affirmation of Obama’s continued commitment to the environment was perhaps most notably apparent in his request for a national carbon cap. Many have been wondering in recent weeks what form the administration’s greenhouse gas emission policy would take; the two most obvious choices being either a carbon-cap system or a carbon tax. Last night, however, speculation was cast aside as Obama clearly requested a cap-and-trade system.

“I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America,” he said. “That’s what we need.”

Read more here

The consensus? That there is a strong desire to ‘plug in’ and be involved in real, concrete efforts to better our lives and world. That we have the ability to make change in our communities. And that ideas are great, but action on those ideas is crucial. As far as I can tell from the signup sheets, almost every attendee committed to being involved in one of the ‘teams’ – energy, rail/transportation, campus organizing or producing public comment on the coal proposal. In a decade of political and issue organizing, I’ve never seen this high a level of engagement. Which should lead to a lot of action… which, as I think about it, makes me excited. And even more exhausted. I need a good night’s sleep. And then I need to get back to everyone in attendance; we’ve got a lot to do together!

Thanks to all the participants and the groups involved in making tonight happen. ELPC, Sierra Student Coalition, Iowa Interfaith and the Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter all deserve credit for partnering to create tonight’s success. Special thanks also to Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) for bringing students in – you’re a great group and we’re really excited to work with you.

If you couldn’t make it, we want to get you involved; and I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at asnow@elpc.org.

Andrew

Implementing ICCAC Recommendations
How we can stop the Marshalltown Plant
Send your voice to Washington
Get high speed rail service to Des Moines
Mobilizing Neighborhood Climate Leaders

Screening of \”Fighting Goliath\”
A Short Film about the fight against Coal in Texas

Food and film snacks will be served.
Please RSVP: 515.244.3113

Start Time: 6:00pm
Date: 2009-02-23
End Time: 8:30pm