From the Des Moines Register this morning. Lyle Krewson ___________________________________________________ Politics Dean unveils energy plan that stresses wind, ethanol American dependence on imported oil is "funding the next generation of terrorists," he said. By JONATHAN ROOS Register Staff Writer 10/22/2003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Joice, Ia. - Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean used a northern Iowa wind farm Tuesday as a backdrop for announcing a national renewable energy plan calling for greater reliance on wind energy and ethanol. Dean said America's dependence on imported oil is indirectly supporting terrorism because some of the oil revenue going to Saudi Arabia is being spent on religious schools that foster hatred of Americans, Christians and Jews. "We're essentially funding the next generation of terrorists because we're not willing to do something about renewable energy at home," Dean told a group of Worth County residents at a campaign event at the farm home of Su and Curt Evans. Three of 89 wind turbines on the Top of Iowa Wind Farm are located on 80 acres owned by the Evanses. The wind farm encompasses about 5,900 acres in western Worth County. Dean's alternative energy proposals include: * Requiring that the nation generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. * Requiring that corn-based ethanol and other biofuels constitute 10 percent of American motor fuels. * Improving wind energy production by removing regulatory barriers, eliminating deficiencies in transmission capacity and looking for new investment opportunities. * Creating a solar power tax credit. * Expanding a production tax credit to cover more types of renewable power generation. * Encouraging states to use part of his proposed $100 billion economic investment fund for renewable energy. Dean says his plan would create 15,000 new energy-related jobs in Iowa, as well as additional property tax revenue for the state by 2020. Dean is a leading contender among nine candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19 kick off the nominating season. His Iowa campaign is set to reach a milestone today when he visits Howard County. Since entering the race, he will have visited all 99 of Iowa's counties. Dean dismissed the suggestion that he might have peaked in Iowa based on recent polls showing Democratic rival Dick Gephardt moving ahead of him. "We'll find out," he curtly responded to a reporter's question. Dean complained that Gephardt, a Missouri congressman, has been giving people the false impression that Dean doesn't like Medicare. "That's just flat-out false. I'm tired of that Washington hot air. He hasn't produced one ounce of health care benefits for anybody in his 30-year career. One-third of my seniors in my state have prescription benefits. And I'm not going to take a lot of sass from people from Washington who haven't done anything." Su Evans, a teacher, said Dean is an attractive candidate because of his opposition to the war in Iraq and his stances on health care and education. "Health insurance is killing us," she said. ___________________________________________________ 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 view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp