Recent polling has shown nearly 80 percent of Iowans oppose the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. But the issue has divided Iowa lawmakers from both parties who are trying to balance competing interests of protecting landowners’ property rights and also protecting the future of Iowa’s ag economy.
Iowa's congressional delegation joined bipartisan lawmakers from Midwestern states in a letter calling on the Biden administration to permit the sale of higher ethanol fuel blends year-round.
Convergen Energy, which diverts non-recyclable products from landfills to turn it into pellets that can be burned as an alternative fuel, plans to open a new facility in Fairfax.
A Republican who upset a Democratic incumbent in 2020, Ashley Hinson said she is running to serve as a check against “reckless” spending and energy policies pushed by national Democrats.
But Iowa’s role within an expansive power grid helps protect it from rolling outages and blackouts.
The new law requires every Iowa gas station to offer the higher E15 ethanol blend
State lawmakers on Tuesday approved with strong, bipartisan support a proposal to require that most Iowa gas stations sell the E15 blend of ethanol in at least one pump.
The Iowa Senate’s tax policy committee Monday approved Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal after making some changes, including the addition of another way for small gas stations to receive an exemption from the proposed requirements and financial assistance for potential equipment upgrades.
In addition to vouchers, K-12 transparency, unemployment benefits, a proposed ethanol mandate, and the bottle bill remain on lawmakers’ to-do list.
The governors, including Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, are proposing the federal government regulate E10 — the most common blend of ethanol currently available year-round — the same as E15, which has a higher ethanol blend and typically is cheaper.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency action that will make the E15 blend of ethanol available through this summer. The action will cite the strain on the nation’s fuel supply caused by the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine.
The president will make the announcement at an event scheduled for this afternoon at a biofuels processing plant in Guthrie County.
An official said Biden will speak to Iowans about his administration’s plans to address rising costs on consumers, and highlight investments in infrastructure, particularly in rural communities.
With just 23 calendar days — which means closer to 18 actual legislative work days, since lawmakers rarely work on Fridays — remaining until lawmakers’ expense reimbursements run out, the push to adjournment begins in earnest next week.
Proposed income tax cuts are on the move, and work on the next state budget has started earlier than normal.
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