RON WIECK STATE SENATOR Twenty-seventh District Statehouse: (515) 281-3371 – HOME ADDRESS 4362 Old Lakeport Road Sioux City, Iowa 51106 H: (712) 276-4008 ron.wieck@legis.state.ia.us

The Senate State of Iowa Eighty-first General Assembly STATEHOUSE Des Moines, Iowa 50319

COMMITTEES Business and Labor Relations, CoChair Commerce Government Oversight State Government Ways & Means

For Immediate Release Contact: Ron Wieck

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 (515) 281-3371

Wieck: Senate Committee Approves Legislation to

Expand Alternative Energy Production in Cherokee

DES MOINES – State Sen. Ron Wieck (R-Sioux City) said today that a Senate Committee has approved legislation he is pushing to help expand alternative energy production in Cherokee.

The bill allows Lundell Manufacturing, of Cherokee, to qualify for up to $750,000 in tax credits for alternative energy production. The company converts solid waste to paper fuel pellets that can be burned for power. Another bill changes state law so that facilities previously restricted from burning the pellets could do so to meet their energy needs.

“These bills would help Lundell Manufacturing expand alternative energy production, resulting in more jobs and economic growth for the area,” said Wieck.

“Converting refuse to energy also helps the environment,” the senator added. “Pelletized paper not only saves landfill space, but also burns cleaner than coal.”

According to the company, the refuse conversion process reuses up to 70 percent of municipal solid waste. Approximately, 1.5 tons of pelletized paper can meet the same energy needs as one ton of coal. The pellets can help fuel power plants and heating systems.

In order to become law, the bill must be approved by both chambers of the Legislature and signed by the governor.

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