Iowa’s vision of Green

March 19th, 2009 by Mike Knutson

With all of the media coverage surrounding green jobs lately, I thought you might be interested in the following comments found in the Omaha World-Herald:

In comparing the number of wind energy jobs in Nebraska to the vastly higher number in Iowa, the article states:

Iowa got ahead because its policymakers worked for more than two decades to nurture the fledgling industry with incentives, regulatory changes and other support. That spadework left the state well-positioned when wind took off nationally.

The article goes on:

Iowa’s lead position in wind energy didn’t happen by accident. Over the years, Iowa’s elected officials approved rebates, loans, grants, tax reductions and regulatory changes to encourage the budding industry.

The state’s university system lent its expertise, and an Iowa community college offered the nation’s first associate degree program for turbine technicians.

Most importantly, wind advocates say, Iowa in 1991 became the first state to mandate that its private utilities derive a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources.

In today environment of belt-tightening state governments, a case can be made against the support of any industry with public dollars. But ask Newton, IA (pop. 16,000) if Iowa’s support of the wind energy industry was worth it. When the Maytag plant there closed in 2008, laying off 1,800 workers, a wind turbine blade manufacturer stepped into its place with 500 jobs. I bet a lot of people there are thankful for Iowa’s vision about green job development.

Kudos to Iowa. We can all learn a lesson from the way they pursued and achieved their vision.

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