Iowa Global Warming

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Council Bluffs City Council has rejected a proposed ordinance that would have allowed people to build wind turbines in the city limits.

The ordinance was defeated Monday on a 3-2 vote.

The ordinance would have allowed wind energy conversion systems, including a wind turbine or windmill, a wind charger and associated electrical systems to convert wind energy to electricity.

Councilman Matt Walsh was among those who voted against the ordinance, saying the wind towers would be at least 150 feet high and create a humming noise that could be irritating to neighbors.

Councilman Darren Bates voted in favor of the ordinance, saying it would encourage businesses to move to the city.

Washington, D.C. — The wind power industry’s growth will slow sharply from last year’s levels under the usage mandates for renewable power being considered in Congress, industry officials say.

A bill approved by a House committee last month and another under consideration in the Senate would require utilities to get a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources starting in 2012, but the targets are well below what the wind power industry wanted.

The Senate version would start at 3 percent in 2012 while the House bill would begin at 6 percent, and both could be lowered through energy efficiency measures.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver joined industry representatives Thursday in meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to urge them to enact higher mandates. “The number does matter,” Culver said later.

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