Report: Iowa Can Be National Model for Next-Generation Biofuels & Renewable Energy Development

Sierra Club and Partners Tout Global Warming Solutions that Benefit Iowa

October 9, 2007 -- Des Moines, Iowa: Today the Sierra Club and the Worldwatch Institute unveiled a new joint report highlighting the economic and environmental benefits that Iowa can realize by making the smart investments and sound public policy decisions needed in order to transition from corn-based ethanol to the next generation of biofuels.

The report, Destination Iowa: Getting to a Sustainable Biofuels Future, notes that while Iowa appears to have benefited from the present surge in corn prices and rising ethanol production, the rapid increase in corn prices and production has had far-reaching consequences for the state’s environment and economy. The report lays out an alternate scenario for the bioeconomy of tomorrow--one that can bring sustained prosperity to family farmers and communities across Iowa. Iowa can use the transition to second-generation biofuels to become a national model for practices that come without today’s environmental costs and with a host of added benefits to the environment and economy that all Iowans can enjoy.

At a time when wind turbines--and wind turbine factories--are popping up across the state, a separate report focusing on the potential for thousands of new Iowa jobs in renewable energy manufacturing was released simultaneously by the Blue-Green Alliance, the public policy partnership of the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers. The report outlines the firms in counties across Iowa that can fuel economic growth and jobs creation by manufacturing the equipment that will form the foundation of America’s new clean energy future. This Blue-Green Alliance will be releasing similar reports for states across the country in the weeks to come.

Iowa and Biofuels: Charting a Course for the Future

Destination Iowa assesses the present state of biofuels in Iowa, charts a course for making the current, corn-based bioeconomy more sustainable, and lays out the policies and practices that can make Iowa a model for the nation in the development of renewable energy and the next generation of biofuels. These policies will provide greater and more sustained economic benefits to family farmers and local communities; protect Iowa’s rich farmlands, conservation lands, and wildlife; enhance Iowa’s environment; and help Iowa provide America with the solutions it needs to fight global warming.

"While it’s clear that Iowa has reaped some economic benefits from corn-based ethanol, the current boom has also put stress on the state’s environment and other sectors of the agricultural economy," said Greg Haegele, Sierra Club’s Director of Conservation. "As the nation’s leader in biofuels today, Iowa has a unique opportunity to have a positive impact on the direction that biofuels and the bioeconomy take. Smart planning and sound policy choices made today can make sure Iowa is reaping the economic and environmental benefits of the bioeconomy of tomorrow."

Some of the major policy recommendations from the report include:

* Increase funding for the Conservation Reserve and Conservation Security Programs to protect fragile soils and lands that provide important wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

* Institute a new federal energy crop transition program to pay farmers at a rate equivalent to the price of corn if they agree to voluntarily transition to perennial grasses and suitable woody crops.

* Redirect some subsidies away from corn-ethanol toward small farmers, projects for more efficient and sustainable biofuels development, and the development of cellulosic crops.

* Adopt an electricity carbon performance standard that restricts both the construction of new power plants that are more carbon intensive than a modern natural gas facility, as well as the import of energy from such plants—a policy now in place in California. This will encourage local renewable electricity generation and reduce the incentives for out-of-state coal-fired generation.

* Incentivize the use of biomass instead of coal and natural gas at biorefineries.

* Increase Iowa’s Renewable Electricity Standard and adopt methods of net-metering and interconnection for locally-owned wind and other renewable electricity projects.

* Develop consistent sustainability criteria from Iowa DNR and federal authorities for evaluating biofuels and regulate and monitor emissions and water use at biorefineries.

* Regulate and monitor the livestock industry. Limit the industry’s use of high phosphorous-content distiller’s grain and its ability to site facilities in sensitive environmental areas or near towns. Mandate less-concentrated production and enforce strict sanitation requirements.

The report was unveiled at an event in Des Moines featuring Iowa state legislators and speakers from other organizations that are also interested in moving Iowa toward a more sustainable biofuels future. In addition to the Sierra Club, the event also featured Chris Peterson, President of the Iowa Farmers Union; John Campbell, Iowa Political Director for the United Steelworkers Union; Mike Tramontina, Director, Iowa Department of Economic Development; and Ed Woolsey, iRenew.

Destination Iowa is the first report produced through a new partnership between the Sierra Club and the Worldwatch Institute, an international research organization. Future reports and factsheets will examine biofuels at the national level.

Renewable Energy Jobs for Iowa

Iowa is well-situated to create thousands of new jobs in renewable energy manufacturing--building the products that will allow the state to take advantage of its rich renewable resources. The report, prepared by the Renewable Energy Policy Project and released by the Blue-Green Alliance, outlines the possibility for up to 9,581 new jobs in Iowa from manufacturing the components for things like wind turbines (5,193 jobs) and solar panels (2,891). The report highlights 457 Iowa firms that have the ability to help produce the products that will fuel the clean energy economy of the future.

"Why order wind turbines from Denmark to put up in Dubuque when we know that Iowa has the workers and the factories to make them right there in the state?" said Haegele. "Turbines from Tama and solar panels from Pella make sense for both the environment and Iowa’s economy. Iowa’s been blessed with the natural resources to help America fight global warming, now it’s time for us to take advantage of Iowa’s human resources to help put these smart energy solutions, and Iowa’s citizens, to work."

More information and copies of both reports are available at http://www.sierraclub.org/iowabiofuels.

Source: Sierra Club

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