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Report says a second Trump term would add 4 billion tons of climate pollution; Trump predicts a bloodbath for the country if he is defeated in November's election; Nevada leaders discuss future of IVF, abortion in the Silver State; and anglers seek trawler buffer zone as Atlantic herring stock declines.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Iowa's Utility Companies Face Monday Deadline for Energy-Efficiency Plans

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Friday, July 6, 2018   

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa's investor-owned utilities have until Monday to submit five-year energy-efficiency plans to be approved by the Iowa Utilities Board no later than March of next year.

The plans are necessary after Iowa lawmakers approved legislation to limit how much utilities can spend on efficiency programs – a major blow to Iowans advocating for conservation programs that encouraged residents to reduce energy use.

Kerri Johannsen, manager of government affairs with the Iowa Environmental Council, says until now Iowa always has been a leader in trying to reduce energy use, which can mean fewer power plants.

"Energy efficiency is actually the cheapest resource that we have,” says Johannsen. “It's cheaper to save energy than it is to build new generation."

It's estimated that every dollar spent on energy efficiency returns two to three times that in savings.

In recent years, Iowa's electric utilities spent seven to eight percent of retail revenues on efficiency programs for customers. The new law limits them to spending only two percent.

Supporters of the change say it will help lower customer utility bills and expand natural-gas service to rural areas.

Iowa's legislation requiring that utilities offer energy-efficiency programs dates back to 1990. But Johannsen says the new legislation ties the hands of energy-conservation advocates who have tried to keep energy costs down and create jobs.

"The electric system is really in a time of transition right now,” says Johannsen, “where we're moving from this old-school way of thinking about the energy grid as something that connects power plants to transformers to people's homes, to something that's pretty interactive."

Public polls show 97 percent of Iowans support increasing energy efficiency, and 82 percent support requiring utilities to increase investment in energy efficiency. Nonetheless, the new law allows utility companies to reduce or even eliminate rebates for smart thermostats, energy-saving appliances and home energy audits.


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