Rosenberg welcomes MidAmerican wind energy announcement, calls for additional state renewable energy leadership

Following Governor Branstad’s announcement Wednesday that MidAmerican Energy will make a new $1.9 billion dollar investment in Iowa wind energy production, Iowa Environmental Council executive director Ralph Rosenberg made the following statement:

Rosenberg

“The Iowa Environmental Council and our supporters across the state welcome the announcement that MidAmerican Energy will add 1,050 megawatts of new wind energy capacity in Iowa. Governor Branstad is correct that wind energy brings new economic opportunities to Iowa not only from the manufacturing, installation, and operations of wind turbines, but also because the availability of renewable energy in our state makes Iowa a more attractive place to locate a business.”

“As a steadfast supporter of wind energy in Iowa, the Council has called for our state to set new goals for wind energy generation of installing 10 gigawatts of capacity by 2020 and 20 gigawatts by 2030.  Today’s announcement by MidAmerican will push Iowa past the 6 gigawatt mark, meaning we are well on our way to accomplishing these important goals.  Iowans have embraced wind energy because they know it provides jobs and economic opportunities while reducing Iowa’s dependence on fossil fuels and imported sources of energy.

“Announcements like Wednesday’s are not the only way Iowa policymakers need to show leadership for renewable energy in Iowa.  Our leaders must continue their calls for making long-term extensions to the federal wind energy production tax credit.  The state could do more to promote small scale, locally owned renewable energy development by adopting utility incentive rates (sometimes called “feed-in tariffs”) to ensure that Iowans who install solar panels or a wind turbine receive a fair price for electricity they generate.  It is also important for Iowa’s public policies to encourage development of the state’s underutilized solar resource as well as energy efficiency.”

Environmental groups: Alliant Energy puts shareholder profits above its customers with lackluster efficiency plan

Last month, the Council’s energy program director, Nathaniel Baer, explained our involvement in supporting strong utility energy efficiency plans before the Iowa Utilities Board this year.  On April 16, the Council and our partners filed our first testimony concerning Alliant Energy.

Interstate Power & Light, a Cedar Rapids-based subsidiary of Alliant Energy, has proposed saving roughly half as much energy through efficiency initiatives as its own analysis suggests is possible, a coalition of environmental organizations told the Iowa Utilities Board in testimony filed Tuesday.   Their testimony, which marks the beginning of debate over Alliant’s five year energy efficiency plan, comes at the same time Alliant has proposed a new natural-gas fired power plant to be constructed near Marshalltown.

“Energy efficiency is the most cost effective method for meeting rising electric demand.  Alliant knows that one dollar spent on energy efficiency efforts can return as much as two or three dollars in economic benefit, but the company proposed pursuing less than half of the energy efficiency gains available to it,” said Nathaniel Baer, whose organization, the Iowa Environmental Council, participated in the filing with the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Iowa Policy Project.

Indeed, a 2012 report by the Cadmus Group, a Massachusetts-based energy consulting firm, which was commissioned by Iowa utilities including Alliant, suggested Alliant could save over 2% of annual retail electric sales through cost-effective efficiency methods, while the utility has proposed saving just over 1%.

“When we considered the wide range of cost-effective efficiency opportunities available to Alliant, in addition to the utilities’ own analysis, it became clear to us that doubling Alliant’s proposed efficiency savings is readily achievable. The utility has an obligation to save as much energy as possible through its efficiency programs before it builds a new power plant,” said Josh Mandelbaum of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“Iowa Utilities Board leadership now is necessary to maintain the economic benefits and consumer savings from energy efficiency into the future,” Mandelbaum said.

Based on past programs Iowa has been recognized as a national leader in energy efficiency.  The state’s leadership has brought many benefits to Iowa utility customers, including keeping electric rates low, reducing the need for imported fossil fuels, keeping air and water clean, and providing jobs in communities across the state.

According to the environmental groups, a range of strong utility managed efficiency programs are the key to realizing efficiency’s potential for Iowa.  The groups’ testimony identified several ways Alliant can strengthen its program offerings:

• The industrial sector, the largest group of energy users, is of particular interest for efficiency gains.  Many industrial customers are good candidates for utilizing combined heat and power (CHP) technology to produce two types of energy they need from one generation source.  Significant potential for CHP is available in Iowa, including by other large institutional utility customers like colleges and hospitals.
• Alliant should not cancel its innovative program for customer-sited renewable energy installations like solar photovoltaic (PV) just as the program is gaining momentum with customers.
• Alliant should capitalize on the latest research on consumer behavior, which shows ratepayers are more motivated to save energy when they are made aware if their energy use exceeds their neighbors’.
• Alliant should support a transition to high-efficiency lighting including LED technology in its service territory as well as achieving efficiency gains in power-hungry data centers including those operated by large information technology companies as well as those in local businesses hospitals, colleges, and other institutions.

The environmental groups plan to address a similar range of efficiency programs offered by MidAmerican Energy in testimony to be submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board in June.  Proceedings to address and finalize both utilities’ five-year plans will continue through the summer.  The plans take effect next year.

At Iowa statehouse, a day of advocacy for clean water, healthy environment

Participants gather in the statehouse rotunda for a press conference.

Representatives from nearly 30 organizations and over 100 individual Iowans from around the state braved blustery conditions and surprise snowfall Tuesday to assemble at the statehouse to voice support of clean water and a healthy environment.

At the event, sponsored by the Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa REAP Alliance, and Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy Coalition, together with numerous other groups, advocates issued a clear message:  natural resource funding is critical for Iowa’s future.

In a press conference, Ed Raber, director of the Washington Economic Development Group (WEDG), praised Iowa’s Resource Enhancement and Protection program which makes grants for local projects like watershed protection and development of recreational trails all over Iowa.

He credited the program with achieving “community-changing” impact in communities like Wellman and Riverside, noting “without REAP, a program that we can apply to every year and get guidance from the Iowa DNR, these projects never would have happened.”

“I don’t for a minute believe that the current funding level has exhausted all the need—or the community-changing and environment-changing issues that are out there.  I really look forward to seeing more resources allocated to REAP.”

State Senator Bob Dvorsky, addressing those assembled, said “we have the resources” to fully fund REAP with the $20 million the program was created to receive.  He called on Iowans to educate their representatives about the benefits the program provides all over the state.

“We don’t want to settle for a minimalist approach,” said Ralph Rosenberg, executive director of the nonprofit Iowa Environmental Council.   “We want to be able to accomplish as much as possible this session.”

At the event, the Council called for four main actions for clean water and a healthy environment:

• Funding the Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.  A super-majority of Iowans created this constitutionally protected fund in 2010, and legislation introduced this year would finance the fund with a 3/8 cent sales tax increase, providing an estimated $120 million each year for conservation action.
• Continuing funding for lake and river restoration, as well as REAP.  The Governor’s proposed budget significantly reduces funding for programs that enhance public enjoyment of Iowa’s lakes and rivers, and continues to provide the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program funds far short of the $20 million the program was designed to receive.  More investment in these programs is needed.
• Supporting effective agricultural conservation.  State government’s strategy for reducing nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in Iowa’s waterways lacks clear goals and accountability.  The legislature could provide both in addition to funding the Watershed Improvement Review Board which provides critical support for local watershed efforts.
• Provide the resources necessary to enforce existing laws.  A pending agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DNR will result in a major inspection effort to ensure nearly 8,000 Iowa livestock facilities do not discharge manure into local waters.  DNR needs additional staff to complete this work without weakening its efforts in other areas.

Meeting clean water goals requires greater commitment to livestock facility inspections

Manure spills can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems. According to the Council’s analysis, illegal manure spills killed more than 1.2 million fish in Iowa in the last ten years.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is poised to take on a major EPA-mandated inspection effort to ensure thousands of Iowa livestock facilities are not discharging manure into Iowa’s waters.  But as DNR prepares for this new responsibility, it does so with far fewer staff than necessary, said Ralph Rosenberg, the Iowa Environmental Council’s executive director.

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Take action on this issue by telling your state representatives Iowa needs enough livestock inspectors to adequately protect our rivers and lakes.

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“Since 2009, Iowa has substantially reduced the number of livestock facility inspectors protecting the state’s rivers and lakes to the point where we are already concerned about inadequate oversight,” Rosenberg said.  “Now, with this much-awaited round of new inspections set to begin, the under-staffing at DNR demands urgent attention.”

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The Council has prepared a new fact sheet on the need for more livestock inspectors, and we offer an interactive map of the impact harmful manure spills have had in your county in the last decade.

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The new inspection effort is necessary after the federal Environmental Protection Agency identified numerous shortcomings in Iowa’s Clean Water Act oversight of livestock facilities last summer.  A draft agreement between the EPA and DNR calls on the state agency to complete enhanced inspections of about 8,000 facilities, reaching 20% of the operations—almost 1,600—each year for five years.

Rosenberg said 13 inspectors, a number that restores past staff reductions and more closely matches DNR’s own initial assessment of its need, would better align the agency’s resources with the size of its task.

“This is not an effort where DNR can drop everything, catch up quickly, then move on,” said Rosenberg.  “Completing the new inspections requires a multi-year commitment from the DNR which will put substantial pressure on the department’s resources.  Providing adequate staff is critical so the department can still meet its other responsibilities.”

Rosenberg explained the DNR originally indicated it would seek 13 additional staff members; after the Governor’s budget provided lesser funding, DNR has suggested it will attempt to re-focus its priorities to move forward with fewer staff.  Rosenberg said the Council and its partners are concerned that without the 13 additional staff, DNR could be forced to weaken its efforts in other areas, such as responding to livestock producer questions and citizen complaints, to complete its new task.

“Protecting water quality in Iowa’s rivers and lakes is the responsibility of state government,” Rosenberg said.  “We have to provide our state agencies the resources they need to enforce existing laws.”

According to previous analysis by the Iowa Environmental Council, manure spills killed more than 1.2 million fish in Iowa waters in the last decade, including 24 spills that killed more than 10,000 fish in a single incident.  Findings from that analysis are summarized on the Council’s website, iaenvironment.org.

Rosenberg: Questions linger about effectiveness of new state water plan

Thursday morning, Karl Brooks, Region 7 Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, released his agency’s comments (.pdf) on Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, a new attempt to take on the state’s widespread nitrogen and phosphorous pollution problem.  While Administrator Brooks called the strategy “a great start,” he went on to recommend numerous changes to Iowa’s plan.

After reviewing EPA’s comments, Iowa Environmental Council executive director Ralph Rosenberg made the following statement:

Ralph Rosenberg is the executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council.

“The Iowa Environmental Council has consistently called on state government leaders to set clearer goals for establishing accountability and measuring success for cleaner water not only for the Gulf of Mexico but also in Iowa’s rivers and lakes.  Iowa’s strategy fails to set measurable goals and compounds this problem by omitting a concrete implementation plan.    Without a better plan, Iowans will lack confidence meaningful action will occur.

“Now, the EPA, too, has pointed out numerous areas where Iowa should state more clearly what it hopes to accomplish, and by when.  The agency also restated its belief that clean water standards, or numeric criteria, ‘are important tools for effective water quality management of nutrient pollution,’ an approach Iowa’s strategy seeks to avoid or discredit.

“State officials have provided Iowans until January 18 to comment on the strategy, which was developed mostly behind closed doors over two years.  After that date, I am hopeful the state will announce an open, participatory public process to resolve serious lingering concerns over whether Iowa’s strategy is designed to deliver clean water.”

Among the additions and clarifications the EPA requested be included in Iowa’s plan are:

• More detail about how conservation systems “could be targeted for use on the most vulnerable lands,”
• More information on the benefits of agricultural best management practices, rather than just the costs,
• A schedule for implementing “accountability and verification measures,”
• More detail about “explicitly… how progress will be monitored/measured,” and
• “specific action steps, milestones and timelines for implementation of actions included in the strategy.”

Rosenberg also outlined the Iowa Environmental Council’s position on the Nutrient Strategy in a recent opinion piece in the Des Moines Sunday Register, and the Council maintains a website with resources related to the strategy.