Advocates against proposed new regulations on alternative energy

Advocates of alternative energy like wind turbines oppose a proposal to be debated next week in the Iowa House. A bill which seeks to deregulate Iowa’s electric utilities will likely include new regulations for alternative energy sources. David Osterberg, a consultant for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, objects.Osterberg says while the bill maintains investment in alternative energy, it requires the energy generated by those new projects to be rate-regulated. In other words, state regulators would decide how much profits could be earned by wind turbine, switchgrass or other “alternative” energy projects.Osterberg says legislators will be heavily lobbied on the issue this weekend.Advocates of the change Osterberg hates say it’s important for the state to regulate alternative energy rates to ensure the money electric customers pay to finance wind turbines and other “renewable” projects is used right.