IEC and ELPC Statement on
posted
on Friday, May 4, 2018
in
Energy News
Contact:
Kerri Johannsen
Iowa Environmental Council
515-473-0123
johanssen@iaenvironment.org
Iowa Environmental Council, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Statement on Senate File 2311
We are extremely disappointed Governor Kim Reynolds chose to sign Senate File 2311 into law. Completely contradicting her own Iowa Energy Plan, this action is a leap backward for Iowa as it guts energy efficiency programs and allows municipal utilities to discriminate against solar energy customers. It’s an especially troubling last day of small business week as Governor Reynolds takes action to kill 21,000 small business energy jobs.
Iowa has long enjoyed low-energy rates thanks to its bipartisan, innovative energy policies spanning the past three decades. These policies positioned Iowa as a national energy leader and helped attract and retain businesses to the state. Today’s action will erode Iowa’s competitive edge, and our economy will suffer.
This legislation is extremely concerning for businesses and residents alike as energy costs will increase after the state abandons its successful energy policy. In today’s technology-driven world, the demand for energy, particularly from clean sources, will increase. Without an effective effort to make commercial buildings and homes energy efficient, monopoly utilities will build more power plants and energy costs for business and residential energy users will increase. It will be much more difficult for residential and business customers in municipal utility monopoly areas to invest in solar.
The end result of SF 2311 will be that utilities will sell more power and Iowans will pay more out of their paycheck for energy. Utilities are the only winner here today – businesses and citizens across Iowa will pay the price of this action.
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- clean energy