(Des Moines)– Despite a looming budget hole, Governor Chet Culver wants the legislature to stand by a 25 million dollars annual commitment to alternative energy.
Speaking Wednesday after meeting with students from Iowa Lakes Community College being trained in wind energy work, Culver called the Iowa Power Fund “arguably the most important piece of legislation.”
When he ran for Governor the Power Fund was a centerpiece of Culver’s campaign. The fund calls for 25 million dollars in spending for each of four years.
Culver says the roughly 30 million dollars already spent on the Power Fund leveraged 190 million dollars in federal funding along with private investment.
The governor acknowledged pressure on the budget but says support for the alternative energy fund remains strong.
On another note, it was announced Wednesday a 360-thousand dollar loan secured by Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative through the U-S Department of Agriculture will benefit the Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program at Iowa Lakes Community College.
The money is being put toward the expansion of the college’s Sustainable Energy Education Center/Wind Energy building.
