Articles Tagged: Wind Energy

Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson hails GOP tax-and-spending law as a “golden era” for energy, backs stricter immigration enforcement, and defends Trump tariffs and trade policies amid John Deere layoffs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it would restrict the use of federal subsidies for solar energy projects in favor of protecting farmland, but clean energy advocates say solar gives farmers a higher production value per acre than any traditional crop.

Amid federal budget cuts, the U.S. Energy Secretary on Thursday in Iowa provided assurances that the Ames National Laboratory that he was touring will continue to receive financial support but said wind energy production will need to start standing on its own.

Alliant Energy is planning to add roughly 1,000 megawatts of wind energy to help boost Iowa’s electric grid and further diversify its energy portfolio. The project — estimated to cost more than $3 billion — would increase the company’s wind energy production by more than 50 percent.

State and local leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the grand reopening of a wind turbine factory in West Branch, just hours after U.S. Senate Republicans passed Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” that would roll back federal green energy tax credits that spurred the company to restart production that had been idled since 2013.

Also in the Campaign Almanac, Rob Sand announces 100-stop town hall tour

Clean energy advocates say Iowa stands to lose jobs and renewable energy project expansions, and that utility bills would increase

Clean energy advocates say Iowa stands to lose jobs, manufacturing facilities, renewable energy project expansions and face more expensive utility bills if Congress passes the budget reconciliation bill as is.

Lightning strikes caused fires in 2023 and 2024 that scattered debris and damaged his crops, farmer near Mechanicsville says.

The U.S. Department of Energy will give the money to a group that plans to build facilities in four states -- including Iowa -- to produce hydrogen fuel with electricity from wind, solar and nuclear power.

Also, Iowa AG Bird has sued a Washington state company over abandoned wind turbine blades

Owner Nordex, spurred by federal tax incentives, says it will hire about 100 workers there.

Linn County Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt believes wind and solar energy are critical to economic development in Iowa. But she also wants to make sure landowners who sign contracts for wind projects aren’t left twisting in the wind.

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.

REGEN Fiber, owned by Alliant Energy subsidiary Travero, hosted a grand opening Wednesday to explain the process for recycling decomissioned wind turbine blades. The plant, which cost more than $10 million and employs eight people, is expected to start processing materials next week.