Iowa Utilities Commission Rescinds Renewable Energy Verification Rules, Boosting Transparency
posted
on Thursday, October 17, 2024
in
Energy News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2024
Contact: Karsten Neumeister, kneumeister@elpc.org
Josh Mandelbaum, jmandelbaum@elpc.org
Michael Schmidt, schmidt@iaenvironment.org
The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) made a key decision today to improve utility transparency in the state by rescinding its outdated Renewable Energy Verification rules. Environmental advocates, including the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) and the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), welcomed this move, which will prevent utilities from using the IUC to legitimize misleading claims about their renewable energy mix.
The rules, which were originally adopted in 2017, aimed to provide independent verification of renewable energy goals based on percentage targets. However, the rules were no longer providing value, had not kept pace with the evolving renewable energy market, and harmed the public by legitimizing and failing to hold utilities accountable for deceptive practices.
For example, the rules allowed MidAmerican Energy to falsely claim that it served its Iowa customers with 100% renewable energy. This claim obscured the fact that MidAmerican continues to operate five coal plants in Iowa and owns the majority share in a sixth.
Josh Mandelbaum, ELPC Senior Attorney, said: "The outdated verification rules allowed MidAmerican to mislead the public about its clean energy mix, claiming 100% renewable energy while operating a large, uneconomic, and polluting coal fleet. By rescinding these rules, the IUC is showing its leadership by refusing to give a stamp of approval to MidAmerican’s misleading claims.”
Michael Schmidt, IEC Staff Attorney, said: "This decision is an important step in holding utilities accountable for the information they share with the public. Iowans deserve accurate and transparent reporting about the true energy mix that powers our state, and this move by the IUC ensures we move closer to that goal. Moving forward, accurate communication is essential for making informed decisions that impact our health, environment, and economy.”
Evolving clean energy goals increasingly emphasize round-the-clock renewable energy solutions and a reduction in reliance on fossil fuels, and the existing rules did not address those issues. The Commission’s own analysis supported the rescission, recognizing that the rules failed to deliver the intended independent verification and instead relied on third-party generated information.
ELPC and IEC, collectively known as the Environmental Commenters, filed comments in May 2024 and presented arguments before the Commission in August 2024 in support of rescinding the rules.
Karsten Neumeister (he/him)
m: (224) 659-0898
Media Relations Specialist
Environmental Law & Policy Center