Thursday, March 12, 2009
The opening of ELPC’s new office in Iowa created a stir in the media and focused attention to what Iowa can do to grow the green economy and help solve global warming. Reporters paid extra attention to Iowa’s unique opportunity to use federal stimulus funding to develop fast, convenient rail transportation between Chicago and Des Moines.
Read the text Howard Learner’s interview with Radio Iowa here
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
On the day that ELPC celebrates the opening of its new Iowa office, Executive Director Howard Learner lays out a plan for Iowa’s future in an OpEd in the Des Moines Register. He points out that Iowa is well-positioned to be a leader in the growing green economy, specifically with three major opportunities in energy efficiency, wind power and high-speed rail development.
“Energy, environmental, employment, economic and national-security goals are converging. President Barack Obama and Congress are moving toward realigning our nation to accelerate clean-energy development to create new jobs and achieve significant greenhouse-gas pollution reductions. Clean-energy development is a win-win-win for job creation, economic growth and better environmental quality.”
Read the full OpEd.
Friday, March 6, 2009
In this editorial, the Des Moines register welcomed the decision by Interstate Power and Light to cancel plans for a new coal plant in Marshalltown, Iowa. The editorial rightly points out that coal is the leading cause of global warming pollution and spending huge amounts of money on a new plant would tie Iowa to a dirty and inceasingly expnsive source of energy.
The editors echoed ELPC’s call for the Iowa Utilities Board to require a strong efficiency plan from the utility Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency will create jobs, save money, reduce pollution and eliminate the need for an expensive new coal plant.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Join Us For Our Iowa Office Opening Reception
Please join us to celebrate the opening of our new Iowa office on March 11th, 5-7 pm. Our Des Moines office is located in the Historic Insurance Exchange Building at 505 Fifth Avenue on the 3rd Floor.
There will be a brief program featuring ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner and Jim Larew, representing Governor Chet Culver.
RSVP to Andrew Snow at asnow@elpc.org.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
ELPC’s Iowa Global Warming Campaign took the cue on the national Day of Service held on Martin Luther King’s birthday to help Des Moines families to weatherize their homes. Of course, the crew took along a video camera.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
After being devastated by flooding, some Iowa communities looked to ELPC and others to make sustainable design part of their recovery. ELPC sponsored and helped to organize a “green design” workshop on December 11th for three Iowa communities — Waverly, Chariton and Ottumwa — that were either damaged in this spring’s record flooding or want to plan to mitigated harms from future disasters. ELPC worked with the American Institute of Architects, and the Iowa chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council, the American Planning Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects, to convene this event.
The workshop also coincided with a Disaster Recovery Conference organized by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. More than 45 professionals, including architects, engineers, planners and officials from a number of State and Federal agencies volunteered their time to help these community officials map out a sustainable path forward after disaster has struck. Volunteers will continue to be available as resources for these communities as they move to implement re-building plans.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
ELPC is working on many fronts to increase the use of less-polluting, energy efficient, and renewable electricity generation. One goal is to reduce reliance on old, dirty, centralized power plants and advance “distributed generation” – literally shifting some generation of electricity to wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, combined heat & power (CHP) systems, and other clean and efficient resources that are distributed across the electric grid and are often sited at a customer’s home or small business.
In order to accomplish this structural shift, state policies must be reformed. Statewide interconnection standards make it easier to connect solar panels, wind turbines and other clean energy systems to the electric grid. These standards streamline the interconnection process by including uniform engineering requirements, reasonable fees and timelines, standard application forms and legal agreements, and “expedited review” for small projects.
Net metering is a special metering and billing agreement between utilities and their customers which allows customers to sell excess electricity back to the grid and gives customers a financial incentive to invest in renewable sources of energy. When a net metering customer’s renewable generator is producing more power than the customer needs, the electric meter runs backward, generating credits. At the end of the billing period, the customer is only charged for the “net” power that they consume.
ELPC’s “Model Net Metering and Interconnection Standards for Renewable Energy Systems” were developed with the input of industry experts and reflect recent best practices at the state level. Although the model contains both net metering and interconnection standards, these two parts can be used separately. To make it easier, the Net Metering Standards[pdf file] and Interconnection Standards[pdf file] are also available as two separate documents.
ELPC leads broad coalitions of clean energy advocates and entrepreneurs to promote distributed generation and the necessary state policy changes across the Midwest and Great Plains. ELPC’s advocacy and technical expertise has helped Illinois, Michigan and South Dakota finalize their interconnection standards, and has moved Iowa’s rules toward completion.
In addition to our leadership in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and South Dakota, ELPC is providing key regional perspective and expertise to support similar projects across the region. We expect our current and future work to significantly reduce existing barriers to distributed generation, which will help diversify electricity generation, provide economic benefits, and encourage the development of efficient and clean sources of power in the Midwest and Great Plains.
Friday, June 6, 2008
The State of Iowa is moving forward on Global Warming solutions - and the Iowa Global Warming Campaign is leading the charge. IGW is a visible (and audible!) presence in the state; on the airwaves of local radio and television stations, educating the public at major events, and engaging with elected officials at the state and federal levels. Our staff and volunteers have been very active in providing comment to the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, which has been working throughout 2008 to produce recommendations for the Governor and Legislature in December. With almost 3,000 supporters and dozens of active volunteers, we are poised to make a major impact on 2009 Global Warming legislation; and on solutions including energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and transportation needs such as passenger rail service and clean cars.
Iowans care about water quality, and ELPC is working with state partners such as the Iowa Environmental Council, the Sierra Club, and the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, to protect Iowa’s rivers, lakes and streams from pollution. We are working to implement and enforce the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act by improving water quality standards and ensuring Iowa dischargers’ compliance with their permits. ELPC is also working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to implement federally-required “anti degradation” procedures that will help keep clean water clean by requiring polluters to consider alternatives to water pollution before being issued a discharge permit. These new rules will be presented to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission this fall
ELPC is working in Iowa to increase the use of less-polluting, energy efficient, and renewable electricity generation. One goal is to reduce reliance on old, dirty, centralized power plants and advance “distributed generation” of clean energy – like wind turbines and solar panels.
In order to accomplish this structural shift, state policies must be reformed. ELPC has been working to persuade the Iowa Utilities Board to adopt statewide interconnection standards to streamline the process of connecting distributed resources to the utility grid. The fees, delays, and seemingly arbitrary requirements that often predominate in the absence of standardized rules are one of the most serious barriers to widespread investment in clean energy. The Board has tentatively agreed to move forward with standards based on “best practices” and has requested input from ELPC and others this fall
Increasing the efficiency of electricity and natural gas use is often the cheapest and easiest way to reduce global warming pollution and conserve natural resources. Iowa law requires Iowa utilities to develop and implement five-year “energy efficiency plans” that describe programs the utilities will use to help their customers save energy. ELPC is representing the Iowa Environmental Council and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club in proceedings before the Iowa Utilities Board to review and improve the utilities’ energy efficiency plans for 2009-2013. ELPC and the Iowa Global Warming Solutions campaign will also be working to implement renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas pollution reduction policies across Iowa.
In an era of $4/gallon gasoline, expressway congestion at all hours, airport capacity constraints, and a shrinking pool of rural transportation choices, the Midwest needs improved passenger rail service now more than ever. At ELPC’s urging, Amtrak has completed studies for service between Chicago and Iowa City via the Quad Cities, and work is ongoing to study the feasibility of an extension to Des Moines. The studies show that new service between Iowa City and Chicago could be developed at a capital cost of only $55 million, with annual operating costs of $6 million. With these costs divided between Illinois and Iowa, such service is easily affordable without federal assistance. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) have already written to Amtrak in support of this proposal. ELPC is now working to build public and legislative support for the necessary funding.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
New passenger rail service between Chicago and Iowa City via the Quad Cities is possible within a few years. That’s the finding of a study by Amtrak and the Iowa Department of Transportation. “Rail service has tremendous advantages in terms of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels…and associated pollution,” explained Iowa Governor Chet Culver. ELPC originally called for the study and will be working to with Illinois and Iowa leaders toward its implementation.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Governor Chet Culver signed a bill designed to boost the state’s energy efficiency in a number of ways. Highlights of the bill include a new energy efficiency commission that will develop stricter standards for building construction, and a requirement that the state’s electric utilities develop efficiency goals and formally report on progress toward achieving them. ELPC and our partners are leading the Iowa Global Warming Solutions Campaign, which will be working to implement renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas pollution reduction policies in Iowa.
Urge Congress to Restore the Clean Water Act! GO
Advancing Smart Transportation
Cleaner Cars
Cleaner Rivers and Lakes
Coal Plants
Developing Clean Energy
Electronic Waste Recycling
Energy Efficiency
Farm Energy
Illinois
Interconnection Standards
Iowa
Midwest High Speed Rail
Northwoods Preservation
Renewable Energy
Repowering the Midwest
Solving Global Warming
South Dakota
Wisconsin 
