Friday, August 21, 2009
In an op-ed in the Des Moines Register, ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner writes about the historic developments and growing support that are making high-speed in the U.S. a reality.
He writes that we need cooperation and continued commitment across the region to bring the benefits of high-speed rail to the Midwest.
“ Working together, we can create a win-win-win for our region: good for jobs and our economy, good for the environment, and good for people and our communities. Let’s get on board together and advance smart Midwest high-speed rail development on a fast track.”
Read the full Op-Ed
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
Watch WHO-TV’s coverage here
Read Howard Learner’s op-ed in the Des Moines Register 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.
Read the editorial here.
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.
Interconnection Standards
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
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.
Model Net Metering and Interconnection Standards
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.
Promoting State Policy Changes
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.
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Friday, June 6, 2008
Protecting Clean Water
Advancing Solar Energy
Promoting Energy Efficiency
Expanding Farm Energy
Advancing High-Speed Rail
Protecting Clean Water
ELPC is working with local partners to protect Iowa’s rivers, lakes and streams. Our advocacy led to Iowa’s approval of an important “anti-degradation” standard, which we continue working to defend and implement. This important but often ignored part of the Clean Water Act is designed to keep “clean water clean.” Without it, industry can increase pollution without demonstrating why it’s absolutely necessary. We are also working with farmers and rural communities to open a dialogue about how to decrease agricultural runoff, which is both harmful to waterways as well as to the health and success of farms.
Advancing Solar Energy
Solar energy is a fast-growing economic sector, and ELPC is leading the charge to make the Midwest a solar development center. Creative advocacy for supportive policies and financing approaches is making solar work in more places, including Iowa. ELPC is intervening in targeted cases before the Iowa Utilities Board to eliminate market barriers and create the conditions necessary for solar industry growth. We are working with start-up solar businesses in Iowa to advance supportive policies for more rooftop installations. And ELPC was particularly involved with advancing Iowa’s strong “interconnection standard” — a key policy for avoiding a patchwork of barriers that come in the form of fees, delays and requirements — which was enacted by the Iowa Utilities Board in May 2010.
Promoting Energy Efficiency
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 help their customers save energy. ELPC represented 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 is actively engaged in the collaborative process that will result in the utilities’ 2014-2018 energy efficiency plans and will continue to push for the most effective programs that result in the most energy savings and benefits for utility customers.
Expanding Farm Energy
ELPC believes in the potential of rural America to develop and produce clean, renewable energy. Our Farm Bill – Clean Energy Development Initiative focuses on clean energy diversification and independence, rural economic development, job creation, and improved environmental quality for all Americans. In Iowa, we are especially focused on the efficient and effective implementation of the federal Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which provides grant and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to help produce clean energy and improve energy efficiency. REAP is a diverse program that has supported all clean energy technologies and can serve every agricultural sector. In Iowa, REAP has awarded 1,597 projects worth $61.3 million in grants between 2003 and 2011.
Advancing High-Speed Rail
ELPC is working to build public and legislative support for the necessary funding to create modern passenger rail that would connect Iowa with Omaha, Chicago and the Midwest. This project would create jobs, spur investment, prevent pollution and provide an alternative to increasingly expensive and inconvenient air and road travel. 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. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) have written to Amtrak in support of this proposal. While Illinois and Iowa were unsuccessful in the first round of federal high-speed rail grants for this corridor, the State of Illinois has committed state funds to bring trains as far as the Quad Cities and support is growing in Iowa.
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.
