Here’s your news wrap for today.
Gone with the Wind: In an op-ed in The Hill, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds touted Iowa as a “red state with a blueprint for the United States’ next steps” on renewable energy. “Last year, nearly 37 percent of Iowa’s power came from wind. Wind energy brings 9,000 jobs and more than $13.5 billion in investmentsand we’ve done it all without sacrificing price or reliability,” she writes. “In fact, Iowa has the most reliable electric grid in the country, and the average energy cost for all sectors here is the sixth cheapest in the nation.” She goes on to cite the wind energy statistics in other red states like Texas and South Dakota.
#ThatGreenville: Greenville, South Carolina Mayor Knox White, who signed his city onto the Paris Climate Agreement, said Greenville spends about a million dollars a year to encourage residents to walk or bike over driving for short trips. He also touted the neighborhood trolley that travels in and out of the downtown area to “encourage people not to use their car on weekends.” Efforts to make Greenville more environmentally friendly align with the mission to create jobs and attract more businesses. “We think we prove again and again that being attentive to green space and the environment is good for economic development,” the mayor said.
Jester-in-waiting: The Administration is on the fast track to earn this week’s climate jester designation. Between the official letter from the State Department notifying the U.N. of the United States’ intention to withdraw from Paris to reports that U.S. Department of Agriculture staff have been instructed to use the phrase “extreme weather” for “climate change,” not to mention uncertainty in how President Trump will respond to an unpublished federal climate report, the Administration’s actions consistently turn away from the pressing need for climate action.
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