Bill Northey (R)

Northey has run on a platform stressing the importance of renewable energy in Iowa and protecting our natural resources.

Iowa is ranked second in the amount of wind power production among U.S. states, and Northey wants to keep this green movement going by producing more sustainable energy sources, such as turbines and stands, and reducing the environmental impact of farming.

He recognized that Iowa needs to cut budgets and staff, but he wants to “make things more efficient and smarter in order to save money.”

Francis Thicke (D)

Thicke wants to consider the future benefits of sustainable energy to farmers and use that as a basis for assessing our future investments in those types of projects.

He said it’s very important to establish technologies to help farmers produce while using sustainable cropping systems.

Environmental impact is also important to Thicke, and he wants Iowa to establish air quality standards for animal agricultural production wastes that would protect not only the environment but also the quality of life of rural residents.