Video: Keeping Iowa’s Commitment to Renewable Energy

State Senator Bill Heckroth of Waverly describes how the state's investments in wind energy have produced good jobs in his district. House and Senate Democrats today vowed to continue efforts to encourage the growth of Iowa's renewable energy economy. Looking on during the event at the Iowa Capitol is Representative Nathan Reichert of Muscatine.

On the heels of a new report this week that says 20 percent of the electricity generated in Iowa comes from wind energy, legislative leaders said today efforts to make Iowa a world leader in renewable energy are creating good-paying jobs and keeping the environment clean.

“Our plan to make Iowa a world leader in renewable is making a difference.  We are now generating enough wind energy to power 75 percent of the homes in Iowa and  we’ve only tapped 1 percent of the wind energy potential out there,” said State Representative Nathan Reichert of Muscatine.  “With 8,100 green jobs and 200 wind manufacturing companies already in Iowa, we have just begun to realize the great potential of wind energy and Iowa’s green economy.”

In addition to the report about wind energy production, a study released last week by the American Wind Energy Association increased Iowa’s potential for generating wind energy to 370,000 megawatts, which is four times greater than previously estimated.  Late last year, the Iowa Utilities Board also approved a plan by MidAmerican Energy to build more wind farms that will generate an additional 1,000 megawatts of energy by 2012. 

“While these are tough times and we must balance the budget, we won’t end our commitment to expanding Iowa’s middle-class and by continuing to develop the renewable energy industry in our state,” said State Senator Bill Heckroth of Waverly.  “I’m proud of the strides we’ve made in renewable energy over the last four years.  The Iowa Power Fund has been instrumental in helping Iowans become more energy efficient, investing in the next generation of renewable energy technology, and supporting jobs in communities large and small.”

For more information on Iowa’s renewable energy efforts, log on to www.energy.iowa.gov.

Watch a video of Legislators talking about the issue below.  Due to technical difficulties, the sound starts at 00:01:30.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

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