Iowa Global Warming

One word – WOW! Right now I’m winding down from the first ‘Iowa Activist Evening’, a gathering of Iowans interested in creating momentum for positive change on global warming related issues; specifically energy production and use and creating a modern transportation system. The attendees included a number of ‘average Iowans’, as well as college students, renewable energy advocates, committed longtime environmentalists and people whose lives will be directly impacted by the proposed coal plant in Marshalltown. Just shy of 40 people total, a pretty impressive turnout for a week’s work.

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

Its time for the weekly news update, brought to you by the Iowa Global Warming Campaign! Scroll down for short descriptions of interesting articles that ran around the country this week.

An Article in the Des Moines Register yesterday quoted Congressman Braley expressing his joy over the completion of the Stimulus bill, which they estimated would create 37,000 new jobs for Iowans all aross the state. “We’ve just finished this in the last 24 hours,” said Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo. “My understanding is this is definite. This is going to be in the bill in the president is going to sign today.” Particularly exciting, however, is the expected increases in the transit budget (and, hence, Passenger Rail service…).
The Register says we can expect: “Grants worth $36.5 million will come to Iowa for transit projects. The split will be $21.3 million for urban projects and $15.2 million for rural projects. Also, Iowa can compete for money for intercity passenger rail and high-speed rail projects. Routes from Chicago to Iowa and across the state are eligible.” Braley added.
Read more here

The signing of the stimulus bill was the week’s biggest story, and as the New York Time’s blog Green Inc. noted, it was packed with support for the renewable energy energy sector. Some of the more environmentally-conscious highlights of the bill include:
* A large sum for energy efficiency, including $5 billion for low-income weatherization programs; over $6 billion in grants for state and local governments; and several billion to modernize federal buildings, with a particular emphasis on energy efficiency.
* $11 billion for “smart grid” investments.
* $2 billion for research into batteries for electric cars.
* $500 million to help workers train for “green jobs.”
* A three-year extension of the “production tax credit” for wind energy (as well as a tax credit extension for biomass, geothermal, landfill gas and some hydropower projects).
Read more here

Good news for many corn growers in the state of Iowa: U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has recommended an increase in Biofuel production in the United States. “My hope is that we get a blend rate that’s higher than 10 percent,” Vilsack said, according to Reuters. “That’s going to create more opportunities for the ethanol industry.”
Read more here

The EPA announced today in a major victory for environmental advocates everywhere that it would reconsider a last-minute Bush administration policy that made it illegal to consider carbon emissions when dealing with proposals for new coal power plants. Though the details of the process of consideration can get a bit hairy, our friends at Itsgettinghotinhere.org have done a pretty good job laying it all out.
Read more here

Looking forward, it looks like a battle on a statewide gasoline tax might be coming down the chute. Though the Governor, Chet Culver, has repeatedly stated his opposition, there is a strong presence rising up in opposition. The Iowa Independent ran a great story about it last week:
Read more here

Finally…did you get a chance to see our broadcast of the ICCAC Panel discussion on Mogulus today? If not, check out our page here. Or, the video will be available tomorrow morning at 10:00am on our youtube site

Thats all for now-be sure to check the website regularly for news updates and announcement about chances to get involved. (For that matter-check out the event on our calendar for next Monday night-its an “Iowa Activist Evening.”)

The Iowa City Press Citizen ran a great editorial yesterday written by Mark Kresowik, the national corporate accountability representative for the Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” Campaign. In it, Mark chronicles some of the trespasses Alliant Energy has undertaken to promote their new plant in Marshalltown, touts aspects of Obama’s new energy plan that will render such projects obsolete, and calls for all of us to take action and tell the DNR what a poorly planned, ill-advised project this is.

Says Mark, “Are we going to sit by and let energy utilities dictate when we take action on global warming for their own selfish purposes? Are we going to let them force a costly, polluting coal plant down our throats instead of creating jobs with the proven, cost-effective, and clean technologies available here and now? The DNR has an obligation to regulate the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Let’s make sure they do so.”

Read his piece here

Someone should also tell Alliant Energy that its going to be a lot more difficult to run a coal power plant in the near future, anyway.

Thanks to Pam Mackey-Taylor from the Sierra Club for the tip!

In an interview earlier this week, the head of the E.P.A. Lisa Jackson said she had asked her staff to begin filing an “endangerment” claim concerning carbon emissions from new coal power plants. The final decision on the matter, expected to come sometime just before the April 2nd anniversary of the Mass. Vs. EPA decision, will have a profound effect on utlities, transportation, and the political clout of the U.S. at the upcoming United Nations Climate talks in Copenhagen this December.

The announcement comes as signal of a reversal of one of the last policies of the Bush era, which stated that carbon emissions should not be considered when granting permits for new coal power plants. The E.P.A. has recently begun citing internationally-supported findings suggesting that global warming gas emissions are having a negative effect on the worlds economy and health, and hence is likely to find that the U.S. should begin the process of regulating them.

Though the decision itself does not necessarily constitute the creation of a new “law,” it could possibly begin one of the largest policy-adjustments in American history, the New York Times reported yesterday. “We are poised to be specific on what we regulate and on what schedule,” Ms. Jackson said. Still-the undertaking will be massive.

Read more here

Swift Wind, a renewable energy corporation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has featured a wonderful tool to let homeowners see if it might be profitable to add a wind turbine to you home. Its really easy: just enter your email and your address, and it will couple information about your home’s wind potential with current electricity costs in your area and state incentives to use renewables. What results is an easy to read graph telling you if wind is a good idea. I just looked up the house where I’m living, and found at most of the Des Moines area has a strong, steady wind stream. But don’t take my word for it: do it yourself here

Amidst troubled economic reports, it looks like renewable energy sectors might be revived under the new stimulus act, Rueters reports.

Though the recent lending crisis has frozen credit normally extended to renewable energy companies, the stimulus package passed last week affords new funds for wind and solar projects via government tax credits and federal grants.

“We’re feeling very optimistic, and it feels like the message got to Congress,” said Arno Harris, chief executive officer of Recurrent Energy, a California-based solar power developer. “If the bill passes, (it did) I think we’re going to be off to the races.”

Read more here

If Gainesville, Florida gets their way this week, they will join the growing lot of communities, counties and states here in America passing Feed-in tariff ordinances, the NYTimes reported this morning.

Feed-in tariffs, which require energy utilities to purchase electricity at market price back from homes that are producing a surplus of energy, are expected to provide a huge boost to consumer solar and wind companies, like PowerFilm Solar, of Ames.

The trend suggests that feed-in tariffs, long popular in Europe, might finally be making their way into North America. “Indeed, feed-in tariffs are commonly used in Europe to boost renewables, but have been virtually absent in the United States, where renewable portfolio standards and tax incentives are more common inducements.” writes Kate Gilbreth of the New York Times.

Read more here

Governor Granholm said in a public address yesterday that the State of Michigan will reduce it’s dependence on fossil fuels by %45 come 2020. The move would put Michigan out in front of every other state in the nation with similar policies.

How does the governor, and the state, plan on achieving such an aggressive target? “Instead of spending nearly $2 billion a year importing coal or natural gas from other states,” Noted the Governor, “We’ll be spending our energy dollars on Michigan wind turbines, Michigan solar panels, Michigan energy-efficiency devices, all designed, manufactured and installed by. . .Michigan workers.”

Read more here