Republicans in the Iowa Senate have ratified a plan that will limit energy efficiency programs run by Iowa utilities, reducing annual charges on gas and electric bills in Iowa by an estimated 100-million dollars. Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, predicts many of the 20-thousand Iowans who work in the energy efficiency industry will lose their jobs if the governor signs the bill.
Senator Michael Breitbach, a Republican from Strawberry Point, says an estimated 150-million dollars worth of rebates and energy efficiency incentives will STILL be handed out annually by Iowa electric and gas utilities.
Supporters say the energy efficiency programs utility companies run in Iowa will be more closely scrutinized. Critics predict utility rates will rise as efforts to reduce energy use are reduced. In mid-March, Governor Reynolds was asked if she supported the kind of changes in Iowa utility regulations that her fellow Republicans in the legislature were considering, but Reynolds said she wouldn’t comment until she saw the bill in its final form.
