Sen. Chuck Grassley stands up for Iowa’s energy economy

Source: By Dylan Reed, Des Moines Register • Posted: Monday, June 5, 2017

Iowa is blessed with abundant energy resources and innovative state policies that allow it to have affordable and reliable electricity. Advanced energy has become a vital part of Iowa’s energy mix, and the state should be proud when leaders in Washington, D.C., stand up for the 18,845 Iowans working in energy efficiency, 3,859 in wind energy and 745 in solar.

That’s why we stand with Sen. Chuck Grassley and his support for the advanced energy industry. When Energy Secretary Rick Perry launched a study designed to attack advanced energy technologies, Sen. Grassley sent Perry a letter saying that the “hastily developed” study, “which appears to pre-determine that variable, renewable sources such as wind have undermined grid reliability, will not be viewed as relevant, credible or worthy of valuable taxpayer resources.” Sen. Grassley further asserted that “not only is Iowa’s wind energy resource reliable, it is affordable. … It helps keep electricity costs down.”

We applaud Sen. Grassley for defending an industry that has brought energy and economic benefits to Iowa — just, as Grassley pointed out, it has also done for Perry’s native Texas.

Dylan Reed, Advanced Energy Economy, Washington, D.C.