Legislator wants to help schools become energy efficient

The chair of the House Education Committee plans to draft a bill to give Iowa schools more leeway in getting money for energy efficiency improvements. Representative Betty Grundberg, a republican from West Des Moines, says most Iowa schools are old, and need better windows, new furnaces and other energy improvements. Grundberg’s bill would let schools ask voters to pass a tax levy to pay for energy efficiency projects. Some surrounding states have implemented similar programs, but Grundberg got the idea from a Cedar Rapids building contractor. In the 1980s, Iowa schools were allowed to use tax levy dollars to pay for new light fixtures that use more efficient bulbs.