Articles Tagged: renewable energy

Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses -- including many in Iowa -- remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.

Also, House lawmakers advance bill to extend biofuels tax incentives

Iowa OSHA is investigating a central Iowa biogas digester after a whistleblower alleged a 2023 fire injured two employees and that the site has ongoing natural gas leaks that endanger workers.

Stations have a little more than 10 months to comply or face fines of up $1,000 per day, per violation, and the revocation of their license to sell fuel.

Iowa has permitted 15 new digester facilities since 2021, when the Legislature passed a law allowing animal feeding operations with digesters to exceed the state’s limit of 8,500 animal units. Seven of the 15 dairy farms added to their herds since they got digester permits, a review of DNR data shows.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: State board approves $6.35M investment to expand ethanol, biodiesel availability.

Also, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state leaders recently completed a 10-day trade trip to India

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa Democratic governor, held an “Investing in America” town hall Thursday in North Liberty where he highlighted efforts by President Joe Biden’s administration to create additional income opportunities for producers and entrepreneurs.

Clean energy and environmental advocates say the renewable energy verification process already lacked accountability, and the Iowa Utilities Commission’s proposed changes only make it weaker

The Linn County Board of Supervisors increased noise levels allowed for utility-scale wind solar installations, strengthened debris cleanup requirements and made other tweaks before the panel adopts new wind energy project regulations.

Former Republican Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who signed a 1983 law requiring utilities to produce a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources, said policymakers should be pursuing an "all of the above" approach to energy production, which includes fossil fuels and renewable sources.

The three-member Linn County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously advanced on first consideration an ordinance adding tighter regulations to utility-scale wind solar projects.

New tax credit guidelines issued for producers of sustainable aviation fuel

Also, North Liberty’s new city hall will open to the public this week.

The ISU Electric Power Research Center won a $9.5 million federal grant for the project.