Congrats to Rich Dana for getting this LTE in the Des Moines Register on 6/30. A needed response to Sen. Gronstal's lte last week, and a good 'hit' on the Senate's Energy Bill. See text below. Lyle Krewson By Register Readers 06/30/2003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Renewable-energy sources are a must In his June 24 letter, Iowa Senate Minority Leader Michael Gronstal called on the Democratic presidential candidates to work for the passage of a federal energy bill, touting the need for such a bill primarily based on its support for ethanol. As an aside, he mentioned tax credits for wind energy and provisions addressing natural-gas prices. Gronstal did not mention an important amendment to the energy bill, sponsored by New Mexico's Senator Jeff Bingaman, that calls for a national renewable-energy standard of 10 percent by 2020. This amendment would require the nation's utilities to use renewable-energy sources such as wind and biomass, and would provide a credit-trading system that would allow Iowa farmers to produce power to be sold to other states. The amendment would bring huge economic benefits to Iowa, and according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, would help reduce natural-gas prices. Earlier this year, Gronstal co-sponsored a bill allowing investor-owned utilities to own wind farms in Iowa, making it harder for farmers and other small producers who would want to get their foot in the door of the new, growing wind industry. Now he is calling on the presidential candidates to lead the fight to pass a federal energy bill that could be damaging to Iowa's economy and environment if it does not include a meaningful move toward the use of renewable-energy sources. I appreciate Gronstal's concerns about the Bush administration's emphasis on new oil and gas drilling, but he is ignoring the most obvious solution to our nation's problems of high natural-gas prices, dependance on foreign sources of energy and toxic emissions from coal plants like the one being built in his district by MidAmerican Energy. Leaders in both parties need to open their eyes to the obvious opportunities that renewable energy can bring to the people of Iowa and the country in terms of economic growth, improved national security, environmental benefits and lower natural-gas prices. If Congress passes energy legislation that does not include a renewable-energy source, it is doing a disservice to all Americans, regardless of the advantages it brings to its supporters in the "Big Ag," utility and fossil-fuel industries. Rich Dana, Guernsey. Lyle R. Krewson Sierra Club Conservation Organizer 6403 Aurora Avenue #3 Des Moines, IA 50322-2862 515/276-8947 515/238-7113 - cel [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]