Governor Culver spoke to the Midwest Governors Association in Washington, D.C., yesterday. He spoke to the group about Iowa's leadership in renewable energy and job creation in the field.
The Des Moines Register covered the event. Here's an excerpt from the story:
Gov. Chet Culver told the Midwest Governors Association in Washington, D.C. today the Midwest is well positioned to lead job creation and retention in a renewable energy economy.
“We have a great deal to be proud of: a growing biofuels industry; huge energy efficiency potential; significant underground storage potential for carbon capture from factories and power plants, and massive wind power potential,” Culver said in prepared remarks.
“Add to all of that our strong university system, our community colleges offering technical training and our internationally known work ethic, and you can see why there is reason to be optimistic about what we can do in renewable energy,” Culver added.
The Democratic governor noted that Iowa leads the nation in biofuels output, adding nearly $12 billion to Iowa’s gross domestic product; generating $2.8 billion in household income; supporting nearly 83,000 new jobs and generating $576 million in state tax revenue.
Increasing demand for biofuels and operating existing plants at their full potential will result in an additional $1.6 billion in gross domestic product for our state alone, Culver said.