Monday, April 2
Wild pigs making a pest of themselves
ASSOCIATED PRESS
They can weigh up to 300 pounds and are like snuffling, rooting machines.
Wild hogs roaming through at least 39 states are lately alarming wildlife
officials by their population growth in northern states, such as Iowa and
Michigan.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/NEWS/70402005/1001
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LTE
A 'state fish' should have clean water
Once again, we read about whether the great channel catfish should be
designated the state fish of Iowa (Iowa Ear, March 22). And with a turn of
the page, we see another article about a manure spill straight into one of
the streams that carry that very fish ("Pipe Break Sends Manure Into Elk
Creek").
According to the article, a Nebraska Pork Partners facility lost manure from
a 21,000-head hog confinement, visibly polluting at least 3 miles of Elk
Creek, killing an unknown number of fish and Lord knows what else.
Fortunately, we have to read about the state-fish issue only once a year.
Unfortunately, we have to read about another fish kill/manure spill
/water-pollution issue pretty much on a weekly basis.
Iowa does not deserve a state fish until said fish is able to swim safely
and thrive in the waters. The state Legislature should not waste time or
money on this until that fish can be guaranteed a safe habitat. How
embarrassing to have a state fish that couldn't be safely eaten when caught.
- Eric Sloppy, Marshalltown.
----------------
Sunday, April 1
OPINION
Energy solutions begin at home
THE REGISTER'S EDITORIAL
It's too bad we can't see the environmental effects of burning fossil fuels
in the same way Americans in the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s could see the
effects of ruinous farming practices.
As Andy and Paul Johnson remind us in an essay on this page today, Midwest
farm states were jolted into action on soil conservation by the sight of
dirt blown into drifts and daytime turned to darkness by fearsome clouds of
dust. Today, Iowans need something to jolt them into action to practice
energy conservation and find alternatives to coal and oil. Unfortunately,
it's too easy to dismiss the early-warning signs of global warming because
melting Arctic Circle glaciers don't immediately affect us here.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/OPINION03/704010323/1035/archive
-----------------
Individuals must take on energy-efficiency ethic
Dust Bowl-inspired soil conservation districts offer model for locally
driven energy conservation.
By ANDY JOHNSON and PAUL JOHNSON
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
It's not often that Iowa has the opportunity to truly lead the nation in an
issue of national, even global, significance. We can do so now, however, in
scaling the twin towers of energy and global climate change.
We have made a difference in the past. In 1990, our Legislature established
programs that made Iowa a national leader in energy-efficiency efforts. We
did it in partnership with investor-owned and municipal utilities. Iowans
upgraded efficiencies in their heating and cooling systems, purchased more
efficient appliances and tightened up their homes and businesses. Our state
Utilities Board estimates that, due in large part to those efforts, Iowans
are now saving $240 million per year.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/OPINION01/704010317/1035/archive
-----------------
Doak: Hydrogen project could point way to new energy paradigm
By RICHARD DOAK
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
Iowa just isn't thinking big enough or far enough ahead in the effort to
lead America into the energy future.
Perhaps that's because our mind-set is frozen in the energy present.
We presently use a liquid fuel (gasoline) to power internal combustion
engines. We have trouble thinking beyond that, so when petroleum becomes
problematic, we search for a substitute liquid (such as ethanol) to continue
powering our beloved internal combustion engines. We cling to the same basic
energy paradigm.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/OPINION01/704010316/1035/archive
--------------------
Mourning doves announce that spring has sprung
It happened again this morning. The first time was a few days ago. The song
of spring penetrated my closed windows. It was still dark outside, but there
was enough light to see the shadowy outline of my neighbor's house. Shades
of gray outside.
The musical notes came in and brightened my day. It was just before 7
o'clock; I was reading the morning paper and having my cup of coffee. The
room was bright inside, the lamp beside my chair chasing the shadows away.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/OPINION04/704010319/1035/archive
-------------------
Saturday, March 31
What '07 corn rush means to you
Hoping to cash in high prices, Iowa farmers are using the most land since
1985 to plant corn. But the trend could have profound environmental
implications, experts warn.
By PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
Washington, D.C. - With grain prices soaring, U.S. farmers are set to seed
more land to corn this spring than at any time since 1944, when the
government was pressing growers to alleviate wartime food shortages.
Farmers intend to plant 90.5 million acres of corn this spring, a 15 percent
increase from 2006, according to a widely anticipated report issued Friday
by the U.S. Agriculture Department.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/NEWS/703310335/-1/archive
------------------
OPINION
At ISU, breakthroughs in biorenewables could make difference for world
By ROBERT RAY
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
In December, I had the privilege of giving the fall commencement address at
Iowa State University. I wanted to offer the graduating students a
perspective on how their Iowa State experience has equipped them to compete
and succeed in a rapidly changing world, so I studied a recent report from
President Gregory Geoffroy.
What struck me is that what is happening at Iowa State is a message that is
important for every Iowan, not just those who had gathered in Hilton
Coliseum.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/OPINION01/703310311/1035/archive
----------------
LTE
Prairie documentary is TV worth watching
Alex Haley, the author of "Roots" a generation ago, once said, "Find the
good and praise it."
Something quite good, a stunning, award-winning documentary, "America's Lost
Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie," will be broadcast nationally on PBS and
IPTV at 9 p.m. Sunday, April 1.
Rather than write a congratulatory letter after the fact, perhaps this note
will tip more Iowans off to what is truly a special viewing opportunity.
I've been fortunate to view this film, which celebrates Iowa's once
pervasive tallgrass prairie.
It is much more than an ecology lesson, weaving in information on history,
social and cultural changes, agriculture, conservation, sustainable and
renewable energy and the arts, among other elements. All Iowans should be
proud of this ambitious project, a wonderful gift to Iowa and the nation by
the University of Northern Iowa and its Tallgrass Prairie Center.
- David Oman, Des Moines.
-----------------------
Friday, March 30
Big corn crop will keep a lid on prices
PHILIP BRASHER
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU
Washington, D.C. — With grain prices soaring, U.S. farmers plan to plant
more land to corn this year than at any time since 1944.
Barring bad weather, that’s good news for everyone from consumers to ethanol
producers and hog farmers because the big crop would help moderate prices
for corn and food.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/NEWS/70330007/-1/archive
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Energy office proposal survives
THE DES MOINES REGISTER
A proposal to allocate $250,000 to create a state renewal energy office was
approved Thursday in the Iowa House.
Senate File 403 allocates $30.9 million in additional money to state
agencies in the current year's budget.
As part of the plan, Democratic leaders recommended that $250,000 be
earmarked to launch a new "Iowa Energy Independence Office," which would be
part of the governor's office.
The plan passed the state Senate earlier this month in a 48-0 vote. The
office would work along with the governor's proposed $100 million Iowa Power
Fund, a four-year plan to promote renewable energy initiatives in Iowa.
Senate File 403 allows the governor's office to hire three employees and set
up the office before the new fiscal year that begins July 1. The $250,000
would come out of the proposed $25 million that will be allocated to the
office in the first year.
Republicans argued that it is inappropriate to allocate money to start an
office that, so far, has not gained approval of the proposed $100 million
fund.
"Before I spend money, I want to plan," said Clarence Hoffman, a Republican
from Denison. "I want to know how the money would be used."
The bill was sent back to the Senate to consider changes the House included
Thursday.
--------------------------
Culver wants flexibility in power fund
A board, not the Legislature, should decide distribution of the money for
renewable energy projects, he says.
By JONATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Ankeny, Ia. - Gov. Chet Culver wants to give the board of a proposed $100
million Iowa Power Fund wide latitude to spend the money on renewable energy
initiatives, rather than have the Legislature carve up money among projects.
Culver made a fresh push Thursday for his four-year energy plan at press
conferences in Ankeny and Cedar Rapids.
http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/NEWS10/703300390/-1/archive
---------------------
Ethanol producer Broin changes name
The No. 2 producer of ethanol in the country has changed its name from Broin
to Poet.
The change was made by the Sioux Falls, S.D. company in order to strengthen
its communications, unify its several companies under one brand and better
reflect its current position, the company said in a statement.
President and CEO Jeff Broin said they wanted a name that would reflect the
unique nature of their organization. “We wanted a name that would represent,
rather than describe, who we are and what we do,” he said. “As a poet takes
everyday words and turns them into something valuable and beautiful; we use
creativity that comes from common sense to leave things better than we found
them.”
Broin built and operates 19 investor-owned ethanol plants, including six in
Iowa, that together produce 950 million gallons of corn-based ethanol a
year.
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