House
Resolution
115
-
Introduced
HOUSE
RESOLUTION
NO.
115
BY
ISENHART
,
GASKILL
,
NIELSEN
,
OLDSON
,
STAED
,
and
PRICHARD
A
Resolution
urging
the
Governor
of
Iowa
to
take
all
1
necessary
actions
for
the
State
of
Iowa
to
become
a
2
member
of
the
United
States
Climate
Alliance.
3
WHEREAS,
195
countries
signed
the
Paris
Agreement
4
on
Climate
Change,
which
aims
to
strengthen
the
global
5
response
to
the
threat
of
climate
change,
including
by
6
holding
the
increase
in
the
global
average
temperature
7
to
less
than
2
degrees
Celsius
above
preindustrial
8
levels;
and
9
WHEREAS,
the
United
States
signed
the
Paris
10
Agreement,
which
builds
upon
the
United
Nations
11
Framework
Convention
on
Climate
Change
and
recruits
12
governments
to
the
common
cause
of
ambitiously
13
combatting
climate
change
by
limiting
global
14
temperature
increases,
by
dealing
with
climate
impacts,
15
and
by
adapting
to
its
effects;
and
16
WHEREAS,
the
current
presidential
administration
has
17
announced
its
intent
to
withdraw
the
United
States
from
18
the
Paris
Agreement;
and
19
WHEREAS,
only
international
cooperation
to
reduce
20
greenhouse
gas
emissions
can
mitigate
climate
21
impacts;
and
22
WHEREAS,
15
states
and
the
Commonwealth
of
Puerto
23
Rico
have
joined
the
United
States
Climate
Alliance,
24
committing
to
the
goal
of
reducing
greenhouse
gas
25
emissions
consistent
with
the
goals
of
the
Paris
26
Agreement;
and
27
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H.R.
115
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Climate
Change
Advisory
Council,
1
which
was
created
by
the
Iowa
Department
of
Natural
2
Resources,
submitted
proposals
to
the
Governor
and
the
3
General
Assembly
addressing
a
full
range
of
policies
4
and
strategies,
including
the
cost-effectiveness
of
the
5
strategies
and
multiple
scenarios
designed
to
reduce
6
statewide
greenhouse
gas
emissions
by
50
percent
or
7
more
by
2050;
and
8
WHEREAS,
since
the
council’s
report,
researchers
and
9
educators
from
nearly
every
Iowa
college
and
university
10
have
jointly
produced
annual
statements
on
the
impact
11
of
climate
change
on
Iowans;
and
12
WHEREAS,
the
United
States
Climate
Alliance
agenda
13
includes
addressing
matters
critical
to
Iowa’s
future,
14
including
advanced
transportation,
natural
and
working
15
lands,
the
role
of
utilities,
appliance
efficiency
16
standards,
the
competitiveness
of
renewable
energy,
17
clean
energy
financing,
insurance
risk,
pollution
18
control,
and
community
resilience;
and
19
WHEREAS,
Iowa’s
participation
in
the
United
States
20
Climate
Alliance
will
help
the
state
achieve
the
goals
21
of
the
Iowa
Energy
Plan
developed
under
the
leadership
22
of
then
Lieutenant
Governor
Kim
Reynolds
by
the
Iowa
23
Economic
Development
Authority
and
the
Iowa
Department
24
of
Transportation,
which
aspires
to
collaborate
25
locally,
grow
sustainably,
and
lead
nationally,
26
consistent
with
the
aspiration
that
now
is
the
time
to
27
continue
to
build
on
Iowa’s
energy-related
successes
28
by
charting
a
sustainable
and
predictable
course
for
29
tomorrow;
and
30
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H.R.
115
WHEREAS,
the
General
Assembly
and
former
Governor
1
Terry
E.
Branstad
approved
legislation
moving
the
2
Iowa
Energy
Center
to
the
Iowa
Economic
Development
3
Authority,
strengthening
the
capacity
of
state
4
government
to
implement
the
Iowa
Energy
Plan
and
5
to
provide
national
leadership
in
the
modern
energy
6
sector;
and
7
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Economic
Development
Authority’s
8
City
Energy
Management
Program
works
with
participating
9
communities
to
create
energy
action
plans,
establish
10
the
financial
case
to
invest
in
energy
efficiency,
11
and
develop
a
steady
source
of
funding
for
energy
12
efficiency
projects;
and
13
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Utilities
Board
and
Office
of
14
Consumer
Advocate
have
maintained
an
ongoing
Energy
15
Efficiency
Collaborative,
and
the
board
has
opened
16
an
inquiry
into
the
potential
for
widespread
use
of
17
distributed
energy
resources
in
Iowa;
and
18
WHEREAS,
Iowa’s
public
universities
have
engaged
19
in
a
five-year
project
funded
by
the
National
Science
20
Foundation
to
build
Iowa’s
research
capacity
in
21
sustainable
energy
systems,
supporting
studies
in
22
bioenergy,
wind
energy,
energy
utilization,
and
energy
23
policy
in
partnership
with
the
state’s
community
24
colleges,
private
colleges,
school
districts,
25
government
agencies,
and
industries;
and
26
WHEREAS,
Iowa
State
University’s
Bioeconomy
27
Institute,
which
supports
Iowa
agriculture
in
the
28
state’s
quest
for
sustainable
sources
of
fuel,
energy,
29
chemicals,
and
material,
and
other
researchers
are
part
30
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H.R.
115
of
the
New
Carbon
Economy
Consortium
launched
by
the
1
Center
for
Carbon
Removal,
a
partnership
of
research
2
institutions
with
the
goal
of
removing
carbon
dioxide
3
from
the
atmosphere
and
converting
it
into
valuable
4
products
and
services;
and
5
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Department
of
Natural
Resources
6
has
successfully
led
an
interagency,
public-private
7
stakeholder
group
to
coordinate
development
of
efforts
8
to
reduce
carbon
emissions
in
Iowa
and
regionally
in
9
accordance
with
the
federal
Clean
Power
Plan;
and
10
WHEREAS,
as
elected
officials
representing
11
legislative
districts,
members
of
the
House
of
12
Representatives
are
willing
to
convene
constituents
and
13
stakeholders
to
collaborate
locally
and
are
willing
14
to
partner
with
the
executive
branch
to
make
the
Iowa
15
Energy
Plan
a
reality,
thereby
helping
Iowa
do
its
16
part
to
achieve
the
goals
of
the
Paris
Agreement;
NOW
17
THEREFORE,
18
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES,
19
That
the
House
of
Representatives
urges
Governor
20
Kim
Reynolds
to
take
all
necessary
actions
for
the
21
State
of
Iowa
to
become
a
member
of,
participate
in,
22
and
maintain
membership
in
the
United
States
Climate
23
Alliance.
24
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