Governor signs utility bill into law

Governor Tom Vilsack has signed legislation into law that may lead to the construction of up to three new power plants in Iowa. The measure speeds up the site-approval process for utilities that want to build a plant, and Vilsack says it’ll have a “profound impact” in Iowa. Vilsack says there’s been a deep concern that Iowa could face the same problems as California.Vilsack signed the bill at a senior center in Des Moines, and praised the A-A-R-P for lobbying against parts of the bill that were stripped out. Vilsack says the group was not willing to sacrifice consumer protection.In addition to the A-A-R-P, Vilsack praised republicans, democrats, unions and business groups for working together on the legislation.Under the new law, the state utilities board will continue to review profit sheets and set the rates for electricity.