New coordinator brings consistency and greater visibility to CCED
By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register
The Clayton County Energy District (CCED) has seen an increase in public visibility the last few weeks, likely a direct result of hiring Kelsi Davis as coordinator, a new position created through a partnership between CCED and Clayton County Conservation (CCC). The new full-time position marks a change to the role that used to rely on part-time staff and volunteers, and fills what Davis called a need for “consistent and effective outreach in the community.” That outreach includes event planning, public presentations and education from someone solely dedicated to those efforts.
“We are excited to have a full-time coordinator who will advance our goals. Kelsi is an individual who will bring this organization to new heights. Her expertise and commitment is a boon to Clayton County,” said CCED board member Katrina Moyna.
There is some overlap, or “shared values” as Davis put it, between CCED and CCC that can be worked on in tandem, like promoting the health and general welfare of the community, conserving natural resources, educational outreach and reducing the energy burden of county residents.
Davis also holds these values, which made accepting the position easier. As a Clayton County native, growing up on a small farm in northeast Iowa, she “developed a deep connection” with what she refers to as a “special place.”
It’s a place where she believes in helping others “achieve energy independence” and “build resilience” in the county she grew up in, where she returned after college and continued to advocate for clean energy. In this position, she’s aided by the mantra “green meeting green,” which boils down to the fact money spent on clean energy sources positively impacts the environment and lessens the economic burden for county residents.
“The natural world has always represented a huge part of my life. I found the perfect opportunity to combine my appreciation for home and my passion of environmental/clean energy advocacy,” Davis said.
Among the job responsibilities is outreach, like the presentation she’s given to multiple city councils and her involvement in the 2024 Clean Energy Forum that took place last week in Postville. There, topics like creating partnerships, building community, the CCED’s 2050 energy vision and goals were discussed. Opportunities like the Rural Energy for America Program grant (REAP) and the Inflation Reduction Tax credit were discussed too.
Davis explained how the transition to clean energy and reducing emissions has “gained momentum” in the United States. Though it’s being addressed nationally, it’s being done so in a faulty “one-size-fits-all” approach, which doesn’t work for a variety of reasons. Among those stated by Davis are “the landscape, population level and overall resource availability in Clayton County is much different than Linn County, which is much different than counties in a different state.”
This is a main driver behind the CCED, which focuses entirely on Clayton County and its needs. Through creating the CCED, you can also create “local solutions.”
Local solutions however, require local buy-in, which means an effort needs to be made toward building community. Davis said CCED is committed to this through inclusively leading, accelerating and implementing the clean energy transition. This is a three-pronged approach focused on retaining energy dollars in the community, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting wise energy use and including everyone, because “we aren’t really strengthening the community if only part of it benefits from energy district efforts,” Davis said.
Retaining energy dollars tackles the fact that, according to Davis, “nearly half of utility power in Iowa is distributed by a large investor-owned utility.”
“When residents pay for energy from investor-owned utilities electric service, maintenance and other components for efficient generation are not the only factors in the price. The whole point of an investor-owned utility is to provide returns for investors. Who pays for that? The people of Clayton County,” Davis added.
This issue was given new life with the recent decision by the Iowa Utilities Board to approve Alliant Energy’s rate increase, meaning customers, like those who live in Elkader, will pay up to $15 more a month for energy. Investment in clean energy, on the other hand, would leave that money in the community, giving residents the opportunity to “take ownership of their power,” Davis said.
As for promoting wise energy use, taking steps to make your home more energy efficient has some added benefits, such as having more money for groceries, prescriptions, daycare, hospital bills and other necessities. Sometimes, even simple improvements like additional insulation in attics or exterior walls, updating older windows, sealing gaps and updating appliances can lower energy burden.
Davis noted this is “especially true for homeowners with a high-energy burden, or the percentage of income spent on energy. Six percent is considered energy burdened, but some Clayton County rates rise closer to 20 percent.”
The inclusivity can be found in opportunities like REAP that offer assistance for energy efficiency to small businesses and farmers. The program was created to address a historical lack of access to electricity in rural areas, which is still a problem today, and was specifically designed to provide federal funding in rural areas.
“The program aims to decrease the total amount of energy used by implementing energy efficiency improvements and increase the amount of locally owned, distributed renewable energy sources,” Davis explained.
The other opportunity is the IRA tax credit for clean energy project costs like solar, geothermal, wind or battery storage.
“The overall purpose is to reach certain levels of clean energy production across the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address a changing climate,” Davis said.
Just as important, as Davis views it, is the basic fact that owning your energy equals retaining wealth.
The endgame for all of these efforts is a CCED vision that wants 100 percent of energy produced by renewable and locally owned generation sources by 2050, aiming to replace fossil fuel with clean energy such as wind and solar.
“Include everyone, electrify everything and decarbonize electricity. The electric grid is a public good and we need consistent and reliable power for everyone,” Davis said. “Everyone should have fair access to home generation opportunities with fair compensation from utility companies. Cheaper forms of energy combined with fair access to household generation means lower energy bills in Clayton County.”
“People often ask ‘How long will it be for me to get a payoff for an investment in clean energy?’ The answer is, typically, seven to 10 years. That may seem like a long time. But, if you don’t make the investment, there is never a payoff,” said CCED Board Chair Jim Osterhaus.
The CCED has already made inroads as a result of its efforts and campaigns, including a 400 percent rise in local solar ownership from 2016 to 2020; 10,000 incandescent light bulbs replaced by LEDs, saving a total of $835,000 on local energy bills over the lifespan of the bulb; and the CCED secured grant funds to install EV chargers in five Clayton County towns.
Though the EV charger is currently down in Elkader, Davis indicated CCED would help in any way it can. “We have many local and regional partners to help us search for grant opportunities or partnerships to make the replacement more feasible,” she said.
“Clayton County was a charger ‘desert,’ preventing EV travelers from stopping in our towns and contributing to the local economy. As EVs grow more popular, we must ensure Clayton County towns aren’t left behind. We don’t want Clayton County communities to be ‘drive-by’ towns because they do not have EV charging capabilities,” Davis explained in an interview.
The EV charger wasn’t the only local issue discussed when Davis presented at an Elkader council meeting. The other was when she mentioned Elkader was deemed a “disadvantaged community,” according to parameters defined in IRA and REAP programs. The term prompted council member Daryl Bruxvoort to inquire, and at the time, Davis did not fully have an answer, but she had one for the interview.
Factors included in determining a disadvantaged community are health, socioeconomic and housing, among others. Two areas of Clayton County fall into the disadvantaged community status: Elkader to Garnavillo and Elkport to North Buena Vista. According to Davis, the Elkader/Garnavillo area status mostly relies on health trends and the percentage of incomes falling below the federal poverty level.
“Any community with income levels below the federal poverty threshold is a cause for concern. This is a big motivation for the CCED’s work in Clayton County. We want to see communities like Elkader and Elkport strengthened and no longer on the disadvantaged communities list,” Davis said.
Long-term goals such as those are combined with short-term goals like revitalizing CCED’s energy coaching and auditing program, and increasing public programming such as community events, online webinars and classroom visits, while continuing discussions with local municipal utilities regarding options for renewable energy.
“The end goal for everything we do at CCED is getting Clayton County one step closer to retaining more energy dollars, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring everyone benefits from the clean energy transition,” Davis said.
