The Hawkeye State was one of seven selected by the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices to participate in a policy academy designed to help states develop such strategies.

“Iowa’s selection for this academy demonstrates Iowa’s leadership in moving the U.S. towards energy independence,” said Gov. Chet Culver.

The state already has a Green Government Initiative, which instructs state agencies to collaborate in order to set energy efficiency goals and to implement programs with a specific focus on using sustainable materials and energy-efficient buildings. The state is also developing the “Be Smart” program, which will offer assistance to public buildings searching for ways to become more energy efficient.

As energy providers eye possible rate increases, state officials say they have to do more.

“Investments in building energy efficiency are proven ways to save money and create good paying jobs right here in Iowa,” said Roya Stanley, director of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence. “Our participation in this academy will allow us to leverage our substantial energy efficiency experience with new ideas from around the nation to deliver great results for Iowa’s citizens, businesses and government agencies.”

As a part of the Advanced Energy Strategies for Buildings policy academy, representatives from Stanley’s office will work with leading experts and teams from other states to develop action plans that include:

• Identifying cost-effective strategies for reducing energy use from buildings, such as improving building codes and encouraging participation in voluntary certification programs.

• Designing new policies and programs that promote the adoption of smart energy use, such as increasing consumption from renewable sources.

• Developing innovative funding and financing options to support implementation of its findings.

According to the Office on Energy Independence, buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy. They account for nearly three-quarters of all electricity generation; approximately 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions; and large amounts of onsite fuel use.

The six states chosen in addition to Iowa are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Utah and Wisconsin. The selections were based on a competitive process, and the academy is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

“More than in any other end-use sector, states can play a major role in reducing energy use in buildings,” said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. “This Policy Academy will help states work through some of the challenges they face when developing policies to improve energy efficiency and increase use of renewable energy in buildings.”

More information on the NGA’s push for energy efficiency can be found on the organization’s Web site.

On Saturday night, during a marathon Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and political rally that lasted nearly five hours, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama seemed to have more of the Vets magic in his campaign. With more than 9,000 people in attendance Obama earned the loudest ovations, most sustained applause, and when he was first introduced, near the beginning of the dinner, the auditorium hit its energy apex.

In the western reaches of the balcony Obama supporters filled the arena with timed back-and-forth chants of “fired up, ready to go.” Iowa Independent’s Lynda Waddington has a post explaining the origins of the now-trademark Obama cheer.

Tommy Vietor, Obama’s Iowa press secretary, said about 3,000 of the people in attendance were Obama supporters. Vietor was pushing the spin that the strong Obama showing is something of a warm-up to the actual caucuses and shows his man has the right stuff organization-wise.

Some Obama supporters held county signs similar the state buoys national convention delegates hold. No telling how many of Obama’s supporters were from Iowa, and how many came from neighboring Illinois, something U.S. Sen. Joe Biden joked about during his introduction when he welcomed both Iowans and Chicagoans to the JJ Dinner.

When Obama addressed the crowd, near the end of the night, he received some strong applause when he mentioned his experience in Chicago — a clear sign that some had made the trip from the Windy City. But the applause was not overwhelming. Still it reminded me of the scene in the movie “The Great Escape” when an escaped British prisoner of war is tricked into revealing his disguise when a German uses a throwaway pleasantry, “Have a nice day,” to get the POW to accidently slip into English and say “Thank you.” The Obama campaign should have had its people remain silent during any reference to Chicago. Minor thing, though.

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Former Story County Democratic Party Chair Phyllis Peters of Ames (a Glidden native) talked with Iowa Independent from her table near the center stage. She’s a big-time Hillary Clinton supporter.

“I think she’s ready to step into the office and get things done immediately,” Peters said. “I think she’ll bring really exceptional talent with her and I’m not such a left-winger. I think there’s a lot to be gained from governing from the center because I really think apart from events like this that’s where the real people are in this country.”

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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had the main press room laughing over one of the more obscure literary references you’ll ever a politician make.

After hearing U.S. Sen. Joe Biden sing the praises of the Irish poet Seamus Haney, Pelosi actually suggested that people read Haney’s “newest translation of Beowulf.”

We’re among the best-educated people in the nation here in Iowa, but that’s pushing it. The JJ Dinner isn’t exactly Shakespeare in the park in Boulder, Colorado, Mrs. Speaker.

Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell auctioned off Pelosi’s scarf for $6,000. She did sign it, though.

One had to wonder if Pelosi’s presence as the emcee was meant to send any sort of pro-Hillary signal.

“What’s it like to be the first woman Speaker of the House?” Pelosi asked in her opening remarks. “It’s absolutely fabulous.”

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While I was credentialed for the main press file room with nationally recognized journalists (Tim Russert event stopped in for a while) I spent most of the evening milling around the tables. During the final two speeches — Obama’s and Clinton’s — I stood near a table of firefighters for U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.

It had a been a long night. The event started around 7 p.m. and people had found their seats before that. A few of the firefighters had a couple of pops of booze. (Remember that old joke, from Johnny Carson I think: I could never be a volunteer firefighter because I can’t drink a 12-pack of beer without throwing up. A fireman from Carroll told me that joke.)

As Hillary Clinton spoke some of these firefighters, one in particular, made several, shall we say, uncomplimentary remarks about her. But when Obama spoke there didn’t appear to be the same animus. They listened. Which speaks volumes. If on caucus night these guys find their guy, Dodd, with a viability problem, one would guess, based on admittedly anecdotal and late-night evidence to boot, that they’d be more likely to move to Obama than Dodd.

Here’s something else to support that theory. My friend, Dr. Steven Kraus of Carroll, sat next to Obama for more than an hour Saturday night. Kraus told me today that Obama has a high regard to Dodd — that it’s clear to Kraus two senators genuinely like each other as people. “I could tell they have a lot of mutual respect for each other,” Kraus said. I just interviewed Kraus and will soon have another post on his dinner with Obama …

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Two announced candidates for Congress in the Fifth Congressional District — Bob Chambers of Essex and Rob Hubler of Council Bluffs — chatted with Iowa Independent in the hallways outside of Vet’s before the event. One major topic: Would Joyce Schulte of Creston, the Democratic nominee in 2004 and 2006 run again? As a it turns out, Iowa Independent spotted Schulte at the JJ Dinner, too, and posed the question directly.

Schulte said she is weighing her options and hasn’t decided. When asked if she was leaning more “green light or red light” on a possible third bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve King, Schulte said it depended on what time of day she was thinking about a candidacy.

Iowa Independent also spoke briefly with State Rep. Paul Shomshor, D-Council Bluffs, who ran against King in 2002. Unlikely he’ll take a shot now against King. But with growing legislative experience and that southwest Iowa base perhaps another run is in Shomshor’s future?

“I know all the Democratic candidates running for president know we need to fulfill our obligations to our veterans, and this is something we need to take out on the campaign trail,” said Harkin. “This administration has cut back on veterans’ benefits, health care, and they have short-changed our veterans just about every term. We’ve had to fight tooth and nail for veterans just to get the money they need through appropriations.”

Boswell, a decorated Army veteran who served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as an assault helicopter pilot, echoed Harkin’s sentiments at the event Monday. “Our returning National Guardsmen have been serving one, two and three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but when they return, they don’t receive the same treatment as our active duty members, and that’s not right,” said Boswell. “They should receive the same benefits and our presidential candidates should be hearing this from you.”

Boswell warns Iowa veterans that we do not have one combat-ready brigade stationed in the continental United States

While speaking at the Iowa Democratic Veterans’ Caucus Presidential Extravaganza at the Four Mile Community Center in Des Moines, Harkin and Boswell reiterated that veterans’ issues should be non-partisan and the government has a sacred contract with its veterans that must be upheld. “When it comes to serving our veterans, it’s up to our leaders to fulfill its end of the contract,” said Boswell. “A deal’s a deal.”

Quoting our first commander-in-chief, George Washington, Harkin helped illustrate the same point. “George Washington believed in a militia, a non-standing army. In order for America to be able to defend itself from future adversaries, we would need to be able to call upon the militia to take up arms and defend our country,” said Harkin. “Their willingness to do so will rest in large measure upon how the country treated those who took up arms before them.”

All of the Democratic presidential candidates had been invited to speak at the forum, but only Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., confirmed and spoke at the event. All of the other candidates, except Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, sent high-level surrogates to speak on their behalf.

The goals of the presidential extravaganza were to raise money for soldiers wounded in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and to raise awareness of veterans issues on the campaign trail. The event grossed $450, which will be donated to soldiers and families at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Clinics throughout Iowa. “We did something important yesterday — far beyond measuring the numbers that were in attendance. Simply put, we elevated veterans’ issues in both Iowa and the nation,” said Bob Krause, chair of the IDP Veterans’ Caucus. “You may not have noticed, but several of the candidates issued national position papers on veterans’ issues yesterday. That was an actual consequence of our Presidential Extravaganza.”

Hoping to capture the non-partisanship nature of veterans’ issues, the event was open to all veterans regardless of their political affiliation. “From the day you put on the uniform, you learn to take care of your fellow soldier. This is no different. Black, white, Hispanic, Republican, Democrat, Independent; we are all in this together. You may or may not like our politics, but you cannot deny that we are comrades in arms,” Krause said.

“When I appear before veterans groups, I try to the best of my ability to make veterans’ issues non-partisan,” said Harkin. “We’ve made a sacred contract with veterans, and this contract should be honored by both parties.”

Early on, however, the tone of the event did shift when Harkin broke the partisan ice with a one-line quip. “Dick Cheney just had his sixth grandchild; that’s one more grandchild than deferments he had during the Vietnam War,” said Harkin, before setting his sights on GOP candidate, Mitt Romney. “Then there’s what Romney said the other day when equating the fact that running a father’s campaign is the same as serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. I see today he said he misspoke, which in real plain English folks is saying I really screwed up.”

Harkin expressed his concerns about the current administration’s ideology and how foreign policy decisions not only affect Americans, but the soldiers who are defending these policies.
“When power is used indiscriminately — without conscience and without thinking about the consequences of that power and what that power is going to be ultimately used for, that’s what gets us into trouble,” Harkin said. “We ill serve our present troops who are in the field by continually putting them into harms way for purposes that are ill-defined.”

Before surrendering the microphone, Boswell and Harkin hoped to plant seeds in the veterans’ minds as they hit the campaign trail. They seized the opportunity to express some of their concerns. “Something else you should bring up to these candidates is that in the continental United States we do not have one combat-ready brigade. We have Code 1s deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, but we don’t have any here,” warned Boswell. “One of the reasons for not having any C1s is that we’ve lost the backbone of the Army. Having already served one to three tours, many of our E-5 and E-6 sergeants are leaving the military, and it’s going to take years to fix this problem. They’re walking out because of the strain it’s putting on their families.”

“I’m concerned because the Army is falling back on recruiting, so what are they doing?” Harkin asked. “They’re scaling back requirements while seducing potential recruits with more money and other monetary inducements. I’m concerned that we will have a military that is made up of only the lower economic parts of our country, and I don’t think that’s good for our country. I think the sons of people like Mitt Romney, Harkin, Biden, and everybody else ought to be serving too.”