Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Don't be fooled by dirty water bill
It's a power grab that will undercut progress.
REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
Under the pretense of doing a better job of cleaning up polluted rivers and
lakes, legislation in the Iowa Senate is nothing more than a disgraceful
dodge by some farm interests to avoid taking full responsibility for the
nutrients in fertilizer that run off their fields.
Here are some of the most troubling changes in Senate Study Bill 1235, which
is backed by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation:
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/OPINION03/703070335/1035/archive
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Plan would wean Iowa off foreign oil by 2025
The legislative idea is intended to trigger growth in Iowa's wind, solar and
biofuel industries.
By JENNIFER JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Iowa lawmakers are trying to put together the pieces for an ambitious plan
to help Iowa fully wean itself off foreign oil by 2025, possibly becoming
the first state to do so.
"The biomass capabilities of Iowa's soil are the best in the world, and the
wind that blows in our state is the best in the world," Rep. Nathan
Reichert, a Democrat from Muscatine, said Tuesday. "When you have those two
resources, you just need to add a sprinkling of very bright, highly trained
people, and we should have a pretty good opportunity."
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS10/703070368/-1/archive
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Petroleum pollutes creek near Flying J
By JARED STRONG
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Eight years after Clive threatened to close the Flying J Travel Plaza
because its retention pond was leaking petroleum-contaminated water into
Walnut Creek, crews are working to contain a similar leak.
The Clive and Windsor Heights fire departments have placed more than a dozen
8-foot booms to absorb petroleum at various places along the creek, which
runs through the middle of Clive's Greenbelt Trail.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS/703070376/-1/archive
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Switch to more efficient light bulbs, but beware
REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
The Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging Americans to replace
incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones. The most
recognizable of these are the swirly-shaped, compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs) with an Energy Star label. According to the EPA, if every American
home changed out five light bulbs with the more energy-efficient type, the
country would save about $6.5 billion per year in energy costs and prevent
greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars.
Making the switch seems like a good move for the environment.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/OPINION03/703070334/1035/archive
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Report: Squeezing profit from ethanol to get harder
The findings are prepared for Congress. Much depends on what happens to the
price of oil, economists say.
By PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
Washington, D.C. - High corn prices could wipe out much of the profit in the
ethanol industry for years to come, economists say.
Net operating returns for the ethanol industry will drop to 28 cents a
gallon this year, down from 61 cents last year, according to a report
prepared for Congress by the University of Missouri's Food and Agricultural
Policy Research Institute.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/BUSINESS01/703070354/1029/archive
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Ex-Iowa workers are sued to shield ethanol secrets
They worked in Jewell and learned confidential methods before switching
jobs, the lawsuit says.
By JEFF MARTIN
SIOUX FALLS (S.D.) ARGUS LEADER
In a case that underscores how competitive the ethanol industry has become,
an ethanol maker is suing two former Iowa employees to protect its trade
secrets and keep them from a rival.
Broin and Associates claims it has developed technology that make its
ethanol plants some of the most profitable in the industry.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/BUSINESS01/703070352/1029/archive
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Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Biofuels critical to state, Iowans say
IOWA POLL
By JONATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Copyright 2007, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company
Most Iowans think the development of biofuels is key to the future economic
success of the state and, to a somewhat lesser extent, their own
communities.
The Des Moines Register's latest Iowa Poll shows 46 percent of the state's
adults consider biofuels development critically important to Iowa's future.
An identical percentage of Iowans say it's fairly important.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS10/703060416/-1/archive
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Clinton stands firm on past ethanol stance
Gas prices would have risen, she says in Iowa as she lays out her energy
plan.
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton showcased plans to revamp
the nation's energy system and worked to impress Iowa's most sought-after
party leaders Monday, capping a quick trip to the leadoff caucus state.
The New York senator also defended her past opposition to tax incentives and
mandates for corn-based ethanol, which Iowa leads the nation in producing.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS09/703060408/-1/archive
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Report: Ethanol's easy profits to end
By PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
Washington, D.C. — High corn prices could wipe out much of the profit in the
ethanol industry for years to come, economists say.
Net operating returns for the ethanol industry will drop to 28 cents a
gallon this year, down from 61 cents last year, according to a report
prepared for Congress by the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural
Policy Research Institute.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/BUSINESS01/70306052/1029/archive
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Dethroning 'Big Oil' to crown 'Big Corn'
By ANDREW MOYLAN
Special to the Register
It pays to be friendly with the majority party in Congress. The proof is in
the new energy bill that recently passed the House during the Democrats'
"100-hour" agenda. The CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, a contrived political
acronym for "Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation," has
been portrayed as ending preferences for so-called "Big Oil" - a familiar
victim on the left-wing's whipping post. In truth, what the bill does is
raise taxes to subsidize a lesser-known but growing conglomerate: "Big Corn"
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/OPINION01/703060368/1035/archive
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Reduce energy use to cut dependence on foreign oil
By G. DAVID HURD
IOWA VIEW
Energy efficiency, that is, reducing our energy use, is the fastest and
cheapest route available to us for decreasing our dependence on Middle East
oil, and to diminish pouring carbon into the atmosphere, thereby
exacerbating global climate change.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/OPINION01/703060371/1035/archive
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LTE -- CRP and biofuels are not mutually exclusive
With regard to your Feb. 22 article, "Wildlife Groups: Idle More Land": We
have to repeat the old adage, "Farm the best, protect the rest" - which is
still good policy today.
While it seems counterintuitive, it makes perfect sense to ask for a higher
acreage cap for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) at a time
when our nation is seeking to expand its biofuels production capacity.
Farmers have little to gain by putting marginal lands, such as those
eligible for CRP, into cultivation. Both farmers and the public are better
served by paying farmers to take marginal areas out of production and
putting them to good use as protection for soil, water and wildlife.
The Bush administration's decision to halt general sign-ups for CRP over the
next two years will do little to increase production of ethanol, but will do
much to degrade our nation's soil, water and wildlife. The National Wildlife
Federation believes that it is not inconsistent to support both CRP and
biofuels. In fact, to ensure a sustainable energy future, we will absolutely
need both.
- Julie Sibbing,
senior program manager, agriculture policy,
National Wildlife Federation,
Washington, D.C.
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