Energy

The Trump administration is moving to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, a boon for Iowa and other farm states that have pushed for greater sales of the corn-based fuel.

President Donald Trump announced he is lifting a federal ban on summer sales of high-ethanol blends during a trip to Iowa on Tuesday.

“Today we are unleashing the power of E15 to fuel our country all year long,” Trump said at a campaign rally, referring to gasoline blends with up to 15 percent ethanol.

The announcement last night about year-round E15 sales sets Trump firmly on the side of corn growers. The president is expected to tout his administration’s move to promote ethanol during a rally in Council Bluffs this evening.

Governor Kim Reynolds plans to attend the rally. She issued a written statement last night, saying the president’s action on ethanol is “a big win for Iowa.”

-More from Radio Iowa

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement Monday following news of President Donald Trump’s decision on E15:

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation Monday at Acterra Group in Marion declaring September 24-28, 2018, as Clean Energy Week in Iowa.

Across Iowa, clean energy is powering more homes and businesses than ever before. Last year, Iowa ranked No. 1 in the nation for share of electricity provided by wind energy and No. 3 in installed wind capacity. This year, Iowa is on track to double its installed solar capacity over the past two years alone.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg joined city officials in Bloomfield Wednesday to celebrate the success of a new solar project. The 1.86-megawatt solar array is one of the largest in Iowa and has the capacity to supply electricity to 10 percent of households in this rural community. The ribbon cutting not only highlights Iowa’s leadership on renewable energy, but also marks significant progress toward Bloomfield’s bold goal to be energy independent by 2030.  

Gov. Kim Reynolds testified before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday afternoon on behalf of Iowa farmers and a robust Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Watch the governor’s testimony here.

Below are her remarks, as prepared for delivery:

“Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of all Iowans on the Renewable Fuel Standard levels for conventional, advanced and cellulosic biofuels for 2019 and biodiesel for 2020.

MidAmerican Energy plans to build a new wind turbine project that would allow the company to provide 100 percent renewable energy for all its customers for the first time.

The company has built 11 wind projects over the past two decades. The newest one announced Wednesday is a $922 million wind farm called Wind 12, which is expected to be complete by 2020.

--More from KCCI

An elementary school in Dubuque was named a 2018 Green Ribbon School on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education.

St. Columbkille Elementary School was chosen for the honor for its “long-term commitment to holistic environmental awareness.” The school serves children in preschool-5^th grade and was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2011.

Gov. Kim Reynolds completed her 99 county tour for 2017 on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Carver’s Ridge in Corning in Adams County.

Gov. Reynolds restarted her 99 county tour after being sworn in as governor on May 24. She held 303 public events in 189 days.

As outlined in her swearing-in address, Gov. Reynolds stressed her four priorities for Building a Better Iowa in stops across the state, some highlights of which include:

Jobs, investments — and low electricity rates

In addition to having created thousands of jobs and $13.5 billion in economic investments, Iowa residents enjoy some of the lowest electricity rates in the country.

Thanks to its wind power, Iowa has attracted major corporations like Apple, whose CEO recently explained that access to wind was paramount to Apple’s decision to site two major data centers in Iowa.