Apparently no amount of searching will uncover further articles about this weekend's conference. Looks like we've got to create more demand for such coverage...


IA Energy/Environment/Politics News for Monday, June 18

Burlington Hawk Eye: 'Milking a bull' - farm bill
http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Second_edit_6_16

Cedar Rapids Gazette: 'Not really roughing it' - the new 'camping'
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/NEWS/70617018/1002/NEWS

Des Moines Register: 'Energy savings is eco-tour goal' - below, Schultz quote
http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070617/NEWS/706170331/1001

Des Moines Register OpEd: 'Ethanol good to IA' - Corn Growers, CRP mentioned
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706170317

Des Moines Register Letter: Ethanol good, Register reporting bad...
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706170314

Des Moines Register: Ag students: focus on environmental health - farm bill
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706180306

Iowa City Press-Citizen: 'New recycling center coming'
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706180315

Mason City Globe-Gazette(AP): 'consumer prices rise on energy and food'
http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2007/06/16/business/doc46735e8c51a4b691606042.txt

Quad Cities Online: 'Second thoughts on wind turbine near Geneseo'
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=343030

Quad Cities Online: 'Indiana scientist given World Food Prize in DSM'
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=342968&query=

Quad City Times: 'Bill Clinton to campaign with Hillary in IA' - July 2-4
http://qctimes.com/articles/2007/06/18/news/local/doc4677102103e55230295463.txt

Radio Iowa: 'Mayors from 50 IA cities at Energy Futures Conference'
http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=2CEEADFD-D15C-E73C-062F92C0D182AF6E

Sioux City Journal: 'Sioux City Council supports refinery'
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/18/news/latest_news/478a100357b133e4862572ff0003d1b0.txt

Sioux City Journal: 'Push for biofuels leads to scale back for refineries'
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/18/news/latest_news/58a61fa00685aacd862572fe00478786.txt

Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier: 'Summer camp focuses on energy' - the future...
http://wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/06/18/news/metro/61c6e2251469334d862572fe004af7cb.txt

--

MSNBC: 'Ethanol could keep price of gas high'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19276523/

MSNBC: 'Ecopolitics, A Capitol Idea'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263106/site/newsweek/

Newsweek: 'Mayors take the lead' - good
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17996836/site/newsweek/page/0/

NPR: 'Australian ranch welcomes climate change' - some like it hot...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11160623

NY Times: Democrats push plan to channel oil subsidies to renewables
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/washington/18oil.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=washington&adxnnlx=1182188760-M+4leZ9bfL/HsM8aBLAqhg

NY Times: 'Moth may peril California crops' - it eats corn...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/us/18moth.html

NY Times(Reuters): 'Senate debates $15B in energy incentives'
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-energy-senate.html

NY Times: 'Florida slow to see need to save water'
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/us/19florida.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Washington Post: 'Coal-to-liquids boondoggle' - very good
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/17/AR2007061700945.html?sub=AR

--

Energy savings is eco-tour goal
Conference considers 'sustainable' possibilities

By TOM BARTON
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

June 17, 2007

For Ethan Burke, don't bother asking if he wants a side of fries, but he will take an order of grease - to go.

"We'll walk into a Chinese restaurant and they'll ask us, 'Table for two?' No, but we will take all the grease from your Dumpster," Burke said standing next to the vegetable oil-powered diesel bus he and friend Alan Palm have been driving cross-country as part of a sustainable energy campaign launched by a nonprofit group they started last year called BioTour.org.

The refurbished bus runs on both vegetable oil and biodiesel, and is also powered by solar panels generating 100 watts that help run their several laptops, cell phones and indoor stereo.

And for Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, it is the perfect example of the possibilities that can come from local initiatives.

"This is the speaking tour of what can happen. It enlightens folks and shows them that sustainable energy is possible," Cownie said Saturday, using the bus to highlight the efforts of a two-day Energy Futures Conference that drew dozens of Iowa city leaders to Des Moines.

The conference was a prelude to a 10-city eco-efficiency tour planned by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Roughly 100 elected officials and state government representatives attended the conference at Drake University to brainstorm plans for a "sustainable curriculum" for schools, residents, businesses and local governments in the state to save energy.

Conference attendees came up with ideas ranging from issues related to recycling and waste management, transportation, food security and lifestyle changes.

Some of the recommendations were:

- Taking away street-side metered parking to create bicycle lanes and car pooling lanes.

- Using schools as a model for recycling programs where students can take recyclables from home to school.

- Creating free bike programs in which the city takes lost and impounded bikes and puts them to public use.

- Moving and limiting free employee parking and subsidizing passes to promote mass transit.

"This has been extremely beneficial in terms of creating building blocks and sharing information to see where we can go in our communities," said Paul Schultz, solid waste management supervisor for the city of Dubuque.

Reporter Tom Barton can be reached at (515) 284-8065 or [log in to unmask]

Andrew Snow
Regional Representative
Sierra Club

603.361.0218
[log in to unmask]

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