HR 115 (LSB 6200YH (6) 87)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 115

BY  ISENHART, GASKILL, NIELSEN, OLDSON, STAED, and PRICHARD

A Resolution urging the Governor of Iowa to take all necessary actions for the State of Iowa to become a member of the United States Climate Alliance.

   WHEREAS, 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, including by holding the increase in the global average temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels; and
   WHEREAS, the United States signed the Paris Agreement, which builds upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and recruits governments to the common cause of ambitiously combatting climate change by limiting global temperature increases, by dealing with climate impacts, and by adapting to its effects; and
   WHEREAS, the current presidential administration has announced its intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement; and
   WHEREAS, only international cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can mitigate climate impacts; and
   WHEREAS, 15 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have joined the United States Climate Alliance, committing to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement; and
   WHEREAS, the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, which was created by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, submitted proposals to the Governor and the General Assembly addressing a full range of policies and strategies, including the cost-effectiveness of the strategies and multiple scenarios designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent or more by 2050; and
   WHEREAS, since the council’s report, researchers and educators from nearly every Iowa college and university have jointly produced annual statements on the impact of climate change on Iowans; and
   WHEREAS, the United States Climate Alliance agenda includes addressing matters critical to Iowa’s future, including advanced transportation, natural and working lands, the role of utilities, appliance efficiency standards, the competitiveness of renewable energy, clean energy financing, insurance risk, pollution control, and community resilience; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa’s participation in the United States Climate Alliance will help the state achieve the goals of the Iowa Energy Plan developed under the leadership of then Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Department of Transportation, which aspires to collaborate locally, grow sustainably, and lead nationally, consistent with the aspiration that now is the time to continue to build on Iowa’s energy-related successes by charting a sustainable and predictable course for tomorrow; and
   WHEREAS, the General Assembly and former Governor Terry E. Branstad approved legislation moving the Iowa Energy Center to the Iowa Economic Development Authority, strengthening the capacity of state government to implement the Iowa Energy Plan and to provide national leadership in the modern energy sector; and
   WHEREAS, the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s City Energy Management Program works with participating communities to create energy action plans, establish the financial case to invest in energy efficiency, and develop a steady source of funding for energy efficiency projects; and
   WHEREAS, the Iowa Utilities Board and Office of Consumer Advocate have maintained an ongoing Energy Efficiency Collaborative, and the board has opened an inquiry into the potential for widespread use of distributed energy resources in Iowa; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa’s public universities have engaged in a five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation to build Iowa’s research capacity in sustainable energy systems, supporting studies in bioenergy, wind energy, energy utilization, and energy policy in partnership with the state’s community colleges, private colleges, school districts, government agencies, and industries; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute, which supports Iowa agriculture in the state’s quest for sustainable sources of fuel, energy, chemicals, and material, and other researchers are part of the New Carbon Economy Consortium launched by the Center for Carbon Removal, a partnership of research institutions with the goal of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into valuable products and services; and
   WHEREAS, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has successfully led an interagency, public-private stakeholder group to coordinate development of efforts to reduce carbon emissions in Iowa and regionally in accordance with the federal Clean Power Plan; and
   WHEREAS, as elected officials representing legislative districts, members of the House of Representatives are willing to convene constituents and stakeholders to collaborate locally and are willing to partner with the executive branch to make the Iowa Energy Plan a reality, thereby helping Iowa do its part to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives urges Governor Kim Reynolds to take all necessary actions for the State of Iowa to become a member of, participate in, and maintain membership in the United States Climate Alliance.