Message from Ed Fallon

By Ed Fallon

Dear Friends,

This week, I rode with David Osterberg on the Green Bike Tour. David is a former state representative and one of the key architects of the 1987 Groundwater Protection Act and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. He continues to do great work for progressive reform as the director of the Iowa Policy Project.

Though the mainstream media doesn’t commit a lot of ink or air time to the Green Bike Tour, this annual grassroots event is a great way to spread the word about biking, energy conservation and local ownership of Iowa’s energy systems. For more information, check out http://www.greenbike.org.

Often, it seems that all conversations about renewable fuels in Iowa begin and end with ethanol. Yesterday, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association released a report claiming that the sale of E85 jumped 255% in just one year, and that 570,961 gallons of E85 were sold in Iowa in the second quarter of 2006 alone.  That’s great news in terms of weaning America of its oil dependency.  But if ethanol production is the main focus of our energy policy, and if corn is the primary provider of the raw product needed to make ethanol, we’re going to have to commit a whole lot of Iowa farmland to corn production to keep pace with feed, fuel and fiber demands.  Potentially, that means less crop land for soybeans, organic production, and habitat programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program. (Of course, it also adds a new argument to the arsenal of reasons why urban sprawl is a bad idea, since sprawl eats up about 30,000 acres of farmland each year, much of it some of Iowa’s highest quality crop ground.)

Another study related to ethanol was released this week by ISU researchers David Swenson and Liesl Eathington.  The study found that a locally owned ethanol plant will create nearly twice as many jobs as one owned by outside investors.  “Higher levels of local ownership yield higher job impacts for rural areas,” writes Swenson.  This study is particularly timely in light of the proposal this week by venture capitalist John Pappajohn, who hopes to raise close to one billion dollars from Wall Street investors to buy out ten locally owned ethanol plants in Iowa and neighboring states. The complete study can be found at http://www.valuechains.org/bewg/Documents/eth_full0706.pdf. 

While ethanol continues to present both great opportunity and great challenges, other options are generating unbridled enthusiasm.  One example of leadership is being presented by Denise O’Brien, candidate for Secretary of Ag.  Her campaign squad is driving a bus fueled entirely by biodiesel made on their family farm near Atlantic from used restaurant oil.  The cost?  A whopping 80 cents per gallon! 

What do you think?  What do you know?  The renewable fuels debate is hot and only going to get hotter.  There is such great potential, and yet such great risk if we take a wrong turn.  Share your thoughts with me and with your local, state and national elected officials.  Take the time to be as informed as possible.  Write a letter-to-the-editor of your local paper when something catches your attention.  Democracy and our future depend on all of us getting involved.  Thanks!

Ed

Upcoming events where I’ll speak or perform music:

Friday, September 29
Homecoming Weekend events in Corning
Playing Accordion for the Breakfast at Legion Hall
Corner of Main and 8th St, Corning
9 am
Contact Jill at (641)322-3416
 
Playing piano at the Historic Opera House
Corning
11 am
Contact Matt at (641)322-4195
 
Touring historic Murphy Building
Corner of Short and 2nd
Red Oak
3 pm
Contact Jackie at (712)623-9281
 
Fundraiser/Meet the candidate for Sally Vitamvas
500 E Broadway
Council Bluffs
6:30 pm
Contact Sally at (712)525-9137
 
Tuesday, October 3
Maria Mulduar to perform for Dave Loebsack fundraiser
Morning Star Theater
51 ½ S. Court Street, Fairfield
8:00 p.m.
Tickets $35 in advance, $50 at door
Contact Jewell at (641) 472-4287
 
Thursday, October 5
Fundraiser for Mike Mauro, candidate for Secretary of State
St. Anthony’s Parish Hall
15 Indianola Avenue, Des Moines
5:30 p.m.
$20 suggested donation
 
Friday, October 6
Door-knocking with Mark Nolte, candidate for Iowa House
Washington, Iowa
2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
To help, contact Mark at mark.nolte@nolteforiowa.com 

Ed to perform accordion during the Fairfield Art Walk
Le Petit Paris restaurant
Just off the NW corner of the town square, Fairfield
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Contact Marie-Helene at (641) 470-1624
 
Saturday, October 7
Breakfast fundraiser for Deb Williamson and Becky Schmitz
Morning Star Theatre, Fairfield
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Contact Deb at (641) 919-1224

Decatur County Democrats Fall Event
Oak Seminary School
26980 Hwy J66, Leon
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Contact Kay at (641) 442-2701