House Study Bill 117
HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
AGRICULTURE BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON MERTZ)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act providing for an agriculture energy efficiency education
2 program.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 1852YC 83
5 da/nh/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 268.6 AGRICULTURE ENERGY
1 2 EFFICIENCY EDUCATION PROGRAM.
1 3 The university of northern Iowa shall, to the extent
1 4 required in this section, establish and administer an
1 5 agriculture energy efficiency education program to assist
1 6 agricultural producers to increase profitability and reduce
1 7 the amount of energy used in the production of agricultural
1 8 animals and crops.
1 9 1. If established, the university shall administer the
1 10 program to promote strategies or methods that the university
1 11 determines best foster the most efficient use of fuel and
1 12 electricity, and which may include but are not limited to any
1 13 of the following:
1 14 a. Eliminating the evaporation of motor fuel from above
1 15 ground motor fuel storage tanks.
1 16 b. Minimizing the consumption of fuel due to the idling of
1 17 motor vehicles.
1 18 c. Increasing fuel savings, by promoting all of the
1 19 following:
1 20 (1) Tillage reduction, including but not limited to using
1 21 no=till practices and conservation tillage.
1 22 (2) The use of efficient planting and harvest travel
1 23 patterns.
1 24 d. Optimizing the performance of farm equipment, including
1 25 by the proper ballasting of tractors.
1 26 e. Designing, constructing, or remodeling agricultural
1 27 buildings to be more efficient, including by using systems
1 28 that incorporate natural lighting and passive solar or passive
1 29 cooling materials or principles such as exposure, ventilation,
1 30 and shade.
1 31 2. The university may cooperate with other governmental
1 32 entities in administering the program, including the office of
1 33 energy independence established pursuant to section 469.2.
1 34 3. The university is not required to implement this
1 35 section until moneys are made available for implementation by
2 1 the general assembly or by the federal government.
2 2 Sec. 2. FUTURE CONTINGENT REPEAL AND CODE EDITOR
2 3 NOTIFICATION. Section 268.6, as enacted by this Act, is
2 4 repealed on July 1, 2012, if the university of northern Iowa
2 5 does not implement the section and so notifies the Code editor
2 6 in writing.
2 7 EXPLANATION
2 8 This bill provides that the university of northern Iowa
2 9 shall establish an agriculture energy efficiency program if
2 10 funding is provided by the general assembly or the federal
2 11 government.
2 12 According to the bill, the purpose of the program is to
2 13 assist agricultural producers to increase profitability and
2 14 reduce the amount of energy used in the production of
2 15 agricultural animals and crops. The bill requires the
2 16 university to promote strategies or methods that foster the
2 17 most efficient on=farm use of fuel and electricity, and lists
2 18 a number of possible areas of conservation when using farm
2 19 equipment and constructing agricultural buildings. The bill
2 20 also authorizes the university to cooperate with the office of
2 21 energy independence.
2 22 The bill provides that the university is not required to
2 23 implement the program until moneys are made available by the
2 24 general assembly or the federal government.
2 25 The bill provides for the future repeal of the bill's
2 26 provisions on July 1, 2012, if the program is not implemented
2 27 and requires the university to notify the Iowa Code editor
2 28 whether it has implemented the program.
2 29 LSB 1852YC 83
2 30 da/nh/5.1