Des Moines, IA (September 6, 2006) - With high gas prices and concern about rapidly accelerating global warming, Iowans are asking hard questions about our energy future. Tomorrow, Mayor Frank Cownie and representatives from the faith, military, energy and conservation communities will come together for a town hall meeting to highlight solutions for America's oil addiction and global warming.
The gathering, the second in a series of town hall meetings across the country, will be held at 7 pm at Plymouth Congregational Church.
"This town hall meeting is a great opportunity for us to come together to talk about what we can do to get our country off foreign and non-renewable energy sources and curb global warming, especially since many of the solutions are found right here in Iowa," said Mayor Cownie. "Higher energy costs, environmental concerns, and the threat of global warming are issues that touch everyone, from seniors on fixed incomes to children with asthma."
The participants represent a wide array of perspectives and demonstrate the growing support for Re-Energize America, a nonpartisan campaign with the goal of creating a new energy future for America. (www.ReEnergizeAmerica.org)
Iowa and the New Energy Revolution
The solutions to America's oil problems, as many Iowans are learning, are not only cleaner and cheaper, but also attainable through existing technologies. Ethanol, the fuel now made chiefly from corn, is advancing to a point where soon it will be made from all types of plant material, even plant waste. Such cellulosic ethanol can be cleaner burning fuel that will reduce our oil dependence, cut global warming pollution, and open new markets for American farmers' agricultural materials without affecting our food supply.
"Iowa is on the leading edge of new technologies to help us to kick our oil habit," says Norm Olson of the Iowa Energy Center, another town hall participant. "It will mean more money in our pockets here at home, and less in the pockets of Big Oil or foreign regimes."
Opportunities in Iowa keep growing. Just last week, for instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded 51 grants to Iowans for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. By funding energy efficiency measures, this program helps to provide cost relief for farmers struggling to keep up with the rising energy prices.
The religious community in Iowa is also speaking out. "Global warming threatens the future of God's good creation," said Bishop Alan Scarfe, Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. "The most vulnerable people in our communities will suffer if we don't take action now to solve the global warming problem. It's not just a political or environmental issue, it's a moral issue. We are called to be stewards of the earth and addressing global warming is part of fulfilling that duty."
Solutions in Iowa can Help America
According to Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn (U.S. Navy, retired), another town hall participant, "One of the greatest threats to our national security is our reliance on oil from unstable and unfriendly countries in the Middle East. We have the technology to move beyond oil. All we need now is the commitment from the American people and our political leadership. It would mean no longer being at the mercy of these countries, and capitalizing on new economic opportunities here at home. It's just common sense."
Re-Eenergize America calls for cutting our oil use by 2.5 million barrels a day within a decade, in large part by relying on cleaner, more efficient technologies like hybrid systems in our cars and trucks, and new biofuels made from crops grown by Iowa's farmers.
Biofuels would help position the United States by 2050 to produce more than three times the amount of oil we now import from the politically unstable Persian Gulf. And if combined with stronger fuel-economy performance standards and smart-growth policies, fuels produced from switchgrass, woodchips and cornstalks could help virtually erase our demand for gasoline by mid-century.
A new energy future must also reduce heat-trapping pollution 50 percent by mid-century. The U.S. Senate has already gone on record saying that mandatory limits on global warming pollution should be enacted.
If global warming continues unchecked, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Iowa could see temperature increases as much as four degrees Fahrenheit. Also of concern, the number of days above 90 degrees is expected to increase as much as five-fold.
"We have the technology and the know-how to move our economy beyond oil and reduce global warming pollution safely and affordably, starting right now," said Dale Bryk, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national conservation group. "What we need now is
leadership to make our world safer, cleaner, and more prosperous."
The Des Moines town hall is sponsored by National Council of Churches, Natural Resources Defense Council, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, National Catholic Rural Life Conference and the Peace Committee of Plymouth United Church of Christ.