Iowa plans to cut greenhouse gases

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council on Friday released its final report that suggests ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90 percent by 2050.

The 23-member governor-appointed council presented the report during a news conference at the Capitol.

It proposes two scenarios that include benchmarks for lowering emissions.

In the first, the state would adopt a plan for a 50 percent cutback on emissions by 2050, with interim goals of 1 percent by 2012 and 11 percent by 2020. The other scenario would set as a goal a 90 percent reduction of emissions by 2050, with interim goals of 3 percent by 2012 and 22 percent by 2020. The emissions levels were based on 2005 numbers.

Also included in the report are 56 policy options that, if carried out, would help meet the second scenario goals, which were based on projections supplied by the non-profit Center for Climate Strategies.

Gerald Schnoor, who heads the council, said half of the proposed options would not only reduce greenhouse gases but also save Iowans money due to reduced energy use.

"Some options have upfront costs, but yield savings in the long run. Overall, the options create jobs and support a prospering Iowa economy, as well as reduce greenhouse gases," he said in a statement.

Troy Price, a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver, said the final report was another step forward in Iowa's efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses.

He and lawmakers set up the council in 2007 to offer recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The 469-page report was released on Friday.

The policy proposals would require the energy industry, which accounts for 31 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce carbon dioxide discharges and increase renewable energy sources. That industry would be the most impacted by the proposals put forward in the report.

Rep. Donovan Olson, Environmental Protection Committee chairman and a nonvoting member of the council, made suggestions for the council's future work including proposing ideas for funding climate transition activities and more education for Iowans.