Iowa?s Republican Senator announced plans to advance renewable energy resources, and praised efforts already in place.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) said Iowa is the leading edge of technology when it comes to renewable energy sources.
?Some of you won?t appreciate this, but I believe in all-of-the-above energy sources,? Ernst said. ?Wind energy has been very, very important to the state of Iowa. We see more solar available to us at affordable rates. I?ve been told, once MidAmerican Energy gets their new wind energy towers in place, Iowa could be producing as much as 80% of our electric energy from wind.?
Iowa supports other renewable energy sources such as corn ethanol and biodiesel. Ernst reminded Iowans the state is the number one producer of corn ethanol.
?Those (sources) are not only important to rural Iowa, but many other Midwestern states that are great producers of this as well. Iowa is the number one producer of corn ethanol, and we consume a lot of that,? Ernst said.
In further support renewable fuels, Ernst attended the Iowa Corn Growers Association?s eleventh annual Iowa Corn 300 Sunday. Ernst said the event is very important, and really helped to promote Iowa products
?It was the Iowa Corn Growers 50th anniversary. Of course, they?re a large commodity group, very important in Iowa because Iowa is the nation?s number one producer of corn and corn ethanol. The track was ready to go yesterday, and it was very hot. The cars racing on that track were Indy cars, and they run on ethanol. We were really promoting Iowa products yesterday,? Ernst said.
Ernst?s visit to Harlan is part of her 99 county tour.
