Looking for leadership? Then look to Iowa, which has moved ahead of larger, traditional wind power states such as California and Washington to become the country’s second-largest wind power producer. Just last year, the state added an impressive 1,600 megawatts of wind capacity, an amount that pushed it past longtime leader California and makes it second only to Texas.
What’s even more amazing is that Iowa’s focus on developing domestic sources of alternative energy is nothing new. According to The Wall Street Journal, the state “began promoting renewable-energy sources as early as 1978, when, in response to the oil shock, it passed a property-tax exemption for wind, solar and other types of generators whose electricity was used on site. Then, in 1983, the state adopted the first renewable-energy mandate in the U.S., requiring that its investor-owned utilities draw power from 105 megawatts of renewable generation by 1990.”
This pro-active attitude by Iowans is now paying big dividends and has the determined support of governing bodies of all sizes and responsibilities. In fact, one of the primary reasons for the recent surge in the state’s wind energy production capacity has been the important role local and state governments have played in facilitating this growth. A combination of tax breaks, fewer zoning regulations, and lack of bureaucratic red tape make the Corn State fertile ground for alternative energy investments, a point that Journal reporter Yuliya Chernova emphasizes:
“… as more states and the federal government seek to encourage more production of renewable energy, Iowa may point the way.”
Property- and sales-tax exemptions for wind equipment make projects in Iowa also make the state more attractive economically. Yet according to a study completed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, each 1,000 megawatts of wind generation installed in Iowa has resulted in $6 million in property taxes for counties.
How serious is Iowa about ending America’s dependence on foreign oil?
What other state in the Union has its own Office of Energy Independence?