He said, however, those efforts should be renewed only if a bipartisan compromise can be hammered out between now and the extra session. Both sides of the power plant issue acknowledge that Iowa will need more generation facilities to avoid power shortages in the next few years. Vilsack predicts problems as early as 2003. Targeted power shutdowns last week by Alliant Energy in eastern Iowa sparked a renewed call for legislative action. The House approved the measure but it stalled in the Senate, where lawmakers are still trying to craft a compromise.
Supporters argue current regulations are a drag on power plant projects.
But critics contend the current measure goes too far and weakens important protections. Republicans say they need support from Democrats to get a bill through the Senate. But Vilsack said the GOP hasn't done much to win over critics. Rants said those issues simply don't fit into the bill's intent. This is not a bill about regulating consumer purchasing.