
The Iowa Power Fund, a program for renewable energy research created by former governor Chet Culver, has only spent a fraction of the planned $100 million in the five years since its creation, according to a review by the Associated Press.
The program was originally intended to help Iowa “become the silicon prairie of the Midwest” by investing in ethanol and wind energy to reduce pollution, reduce the state’s need for foreign oil, and create new jobs. However only $23 million has been spent so far, and many of the fund’s projects are still facing difficulties.