Every month, when Iowa families look over their finances and put together a budget, the price of gas is always an unpredictable factor in spending decisions. While people in urban centers have access to other transportation options, in rural Iowa, we drive – everywhere. Going to work, driving to church, seeing friends in other communities and taking our kids to school and practice all require a car – and in the wintertime, an electric vehicle just won’t cut it.

Q: What’s your recent work on behalf of Iowa airports and sustainable aviation fuel?

Technically this was the last full week, while the 100 days of this 2024 session conclude on Tuesday, April 16. In reality, we still have budgets to work on through the Appropriations Committee, in addition to several bills waiting to come to the floor in Ways and Means. So, there is no guarantee we will adjourn by that date. In the meantime, this week we focused on moving bills off the floor on to the governor’s office and moving eligible bills through committee for next week.

This week, Gov. Reynolds signed into law legislation to strengthen Iowa’s laws on ownership of Iowa’s agricultural land by nonresident aliens. Senate File 2204 easily passed with bipartisan support with a vote of 95-0 in the House of Representatives. The new law increases reporting requirements, increases enforcement of current laws and authorizes the Attorney General's office to investigate reports of potential violations of Iowa's laws concerning foreign ownership.

Look, I want lean, beneficial, affordable, resourceful wind energy just like everyone else.

But, from what I've experienced and researched in the past decades, what these wind turbines offer is just an ideology or an illusion at best. They do not benefit us as a community and are self-serving only to those who are receiving financial gains at the expense of the negative health effects of residents and the natural habitat.

By Barb Dean, Living Word Outreach Ministries