Governor Culver signs renewable energy bill (Iowa)

[jpak]

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/NEWS/192102452/1006/news

DES MOINES — Gov. Chet Culver on Monday signed into law legislative enhancements to streamline state regulations and efforts to bolster renewable energy usage and availability in Iowa.

Culver said House File 2689 will build on a 2-year-old law that established a 25 percent renewable energy standard by improving infrastructure grant incentives and encouraging greater use of blender pumps in Iowa to drive greater consumption of ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

<snip>

The bill calls for enhanced grants for retailers installing E85 or biodiesel infrastructure, provides bonus grants for retailers adding renewable fuels to more than one retail outlet within 12 months, allows same retail outlets to receive both an E85 and a biodiesel grant instead of being forced to choose between the two, clarifies that blenders pumps are eligible for grants, and creates a new $100,000 grant for parties installing tanks to store, blend and dispense biodiesel fuels.

Culver said Iowa's existing infrastructure program to encourage renewable energy consumption already has helped by leveraging $17 million in investments. He said the state has 20,000 more flexible-fuel vehicles on the road that consumed an extra 1 million gallon of E85 fuel last year.

<more>