Des Moines Register
05-27-07
Grassroots: Iowa joins 12-state energy consortium
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State
University have joined the North Central Bioeconomy Consortium, a 12-state
collaborative effort that has been formed to promote energy from the Midwest
instead of the Middle East by coordinating policy and research.
"This consortium is designed to help Iowa and the 11 other states make sure
they are able to continue to lead this transition to a bioeconomy," said Bill
Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture.
"We need to ensure our state is prepared for the next generation of biofuels and
other bio-based products," he said.
The 12 states have the potential to produce one-half to two-thirds of the nation's
perennial bioenergy crops and crop residues.
In addition to Iowa, states in the coalition are Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and
Wisconsin.
The consortium recently received a $100,000 grant from the Energy Foundation
of San Francisco to coordinate regional public policy development and research
into the future of renewable energy.
The Great Plains Institute in Minneapolis will assist in the coordination, facilitation
and implementation of the 12-state consortium agenda.