Iowa Governor on Wind Energy and Biofuel Production

Secretary Chu Presents State $16 Million in ARRA Energy Funds

June 22, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver said today that Iowa will continue to be a national leader in wind energy and biofuels, and the creation of ‘green collar jobs,’ thanks in part to the support of President Obama’s federal economic recovery program. U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was in Des Moines today to present Iowa with $16 million in State Energy Program funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"From wind energy to biofuels, Iowa has been and will be a leader in alternative energy, which has meant thousands of good jobs across our state," said Governor Culver. "The support of President Obama and Secretary Chu will help Iowa do even more. State Energy Program funds will lead to more renewable energy technology for public and community facilities, greater energy efficiency throughout Iowa, and in the process new construction and manufacturing jobs to help us work our way out of this economic recession."

Governor Culver and Secretary Chu, along with Congressman Leonard Boswell, appeared at a strategy meeting of the Iowa Power Fund Board.

Iowa will receive a total of $40.5 million under the State Energy Program for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements across the state. These federal funds will be used to help finance energy improvements for public facilities; provide low-interest loans for the commercial and agricultural sectors, as well as non-profit agencies; support technology demonstrations and innovative projects; and fund training programs to quickly expand energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts.

“We are excited about the opportunity to be highlighted as one of the first states to receive State Energy Program economic recovery funding,” said Roya Stanley, Director of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence. “We will deploy the funds quickly to create jobs and improve our energy efficiency.”

Key ways in which Iowa supports renewable energy, and facts about the alternative energy industry in the state, include:

IOWA POWER FUND: Iowa has become a national leader in renewable energy in large part thanks to the Power Fund, created by Governor Culver two years ago to fund research and development as well as early commercialization of energy projects. To date the Power Fund provided more than $35.2 million in support to 26 projects across the state, which has leveraged an additional $190 million in public and private investments.

I-JOBS: Governor Culver's I-JOBS initiative, an $830 million investment in the state's infrastructure, provides $10 million to the Iowa Energy Center's Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program, which provides zero-interest loans to individuals and organizations who want to build alternate energy production facilities and small hydro facilities in Iowa.

WIND ENERGY: Iowa currently ranks second nationally in wind generation, with nearly 2,900 megawatts of capacity, and leads the nation in wind generation as percentage of the state’s total energy mix at 15%. Wind energy in Iowa supports more than 2,300 jobs across the state, with nine international wind manufacturing companies in the state and more than 200 Iowa companies supply the wind industry, generating over $50 million in new revenue. Iowa is one of only two states in the nation to manufacture the three main components of wind turbines: towers, generators and blades.

BIOFUELS: Iowa has 35 refineries producing 3.3 billion gallons of ethanol each year, making Iowa a net exporter of transportation fuels. Ethanol production in Iowa has more than doubled since 2006. In addition, the biodiesel production capacity in Iowa is now 325 million gallons.

For more information on what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act means for Iowa, visit www.recovery.iowa.gov and for more information on Iowa’s leadership in energy independence visit www.energy.iowa.gov.

Source: Iowa Governor