Governor signs bills fostering renewable energy
The state will spend $100 million over four years to aid development.
By JASON CLAYWORTH
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Ames, Ia. - It's official: Iowa will pump $100 million into boosting its
renewable fuel research and production.
Gov. Chet Culver signed legislation Wednesday that will allocate the money
to promote such things as wind power and ethanol-like improvements over the
next four years.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070524/NEWS10/705240389/-1/archive
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Wednesday, May 23
Army National Guard airlifts out river junk
Chinook helicopter hauls away huge chemical tank
By PERRY BEEMAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Upper Iowa University staged an apparent first Tuesday, finishing a river
cleanup by calling in a military helicopter to airlift a wayward fuel tank
along the Volga River near Fayette.
Upper Iowa geosciences professor Katherine McCarville had discovered the
20-foot-long, empty chemical tank - originally part of a truck - while she
was exploring an area called Big Rock. She had heard lore of students years
ago using the place for freshmen initiations and senior goodbyes, and she
was curious no one could tell her where it was.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070523/NEWS/705230363/-1/archive
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Stop building coal-burning power plants
By CAROLYN D. HEISING
IOWA VIEW
Old habits die hard, especially when it comes to building new power plants
that burn coal.
Although coal emits more carbon dioxide than any other fuel, U.S. power
companies are rushing to build nearly 160 coal plants, in hopes of meeting
record demand for electricity and getting the plants in commercial service
before the government clamps down on emissions of the heat-trapping gas.
Coal plants account for about 25 percent of U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions.
But if the additional plants are built, they would boost coal emissions
substantially, posing a further threat to climate change.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070523/OPINION01/705230336/1035/archive
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Tuesday, May 22
Proposal: Encourage biomass ethanol in farm bill
Paying for new programs could prove difficult as congressional committees
begin work on the legislation.
By PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
Washington, D.C. — The next farm bill could provide subsidies and loan
guarantees to start production of fuel ethanol from corn-field residue and
other sources of biomass.
Congressional pay-as-they-go rules are limiting the size of the programs,
and lawmakers still must find a way to pay for them.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/BUSINESS01/70522021/1029/archive
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Monday, May 21
Ethanol facility's intention: Go fishin'
A Wisconsin plant's recycling plans include establishing a big tilapia farm.
By PAULA LAVIGNE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
A plan to recycle energy at a Wisconsin ethanol plant is turning into a
fishing expedition with hopes for a big catch.
Owners of Renew Energy plan to harvest about 4.5 million pounds of tilapia
at an ethanol plant under construction in Jefferson. The plant would be
among the world's largest indoor tilapia farms, and U.S. seafood experts say
it could eventually play a big role in reducing imports of the popular fish.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/NEWS10/705210333/-1/archive
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Wind energy project discussed
Dallas Center residents voice community concerns about the proposed
underground effort at meeting.
By MICHELE BROWN
Register staff writer
Dallas Center residents filed into a small, upstairs room of the town's
Memorial Hall on Thursday night to hear how a proposed $200 million wind
energy plant less than two miles west of the city would affect their
community.
About 35 residents came out to have their questions answered. Following the
nearly two-hour meeting, some said more research would need to be done
before they could fully be on board with the project.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/NEWS05/705220325/-1/archive
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Expand wetlands program to benefit air, water, wildlife
By LESLEE SPRAGGINS
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
At The Nature Conservancy, the largest conservation organization in the
world, we consider the 2007 farm bill as the most important source for
conservation funding in Iowa as well as the country. The past three federal
farm bills have shaped more conservation programs for a longer period of
time and put more funding behind those programs than any other federal
legislation.
The farm bill is the largest single source of federal funding for
conservation on private land in the United States: $5 billion annually for
the past five years. Decisions by private landowners are key to retaining
habitat in forests, wetlands and grasslands for clean air and water.
Therefore, we have been working with Congress to steer funding toward
landscapes with high conservation value here in Iowa and throughout the
country.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070521/OPINION01/705210302/1035/archive
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LTE
Think 'green' when it comes to transportation
The annual discussion of placing a highway through the Des Moines
Recreational River and Greenbelt nature area - to assist Ankeny residents'
drive to Des Moines - is absurd.
Why can't the state discuss a "green" program for Iowa? A program including
Magnetic Levitation Transportation (MAGLEV) would be a fresh start. During
19981999, this effort was presented to the Iowa Department of Transportation
as an alternative plan to widening Interstate 235; the DOT was not
interested.
The Des Moines area Metropolitan Planning Organization was interested, and
it still has the map proposal for servicing downtown, encircling the metro
with spurs to Minneapolis, Omaha, Chicago and Kansas City at speeds of 300
mph. Eight of 10 mayors in the metro supported the concept.
MAGLEV is administered by the federal railroad administration and is a
system of moving people that does not utilize a motor, transmission, wheels
or axles.
This system creates nearly zero decibels of noise, zero pollution and, if
the electricity is created by solar power and/or wind, the carbon footprint
is zero.
- Dennis Lockridge, Johnston.
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