By Maria Carter
Weston, MO – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt stopped at the Iatan plant under construction near Weston Monday. Blunt was there to sign an energy bill, creating renewable energy targets for utilities. Utility companies will be asked to meet a four percent renewable energy goal by 2012 and 11 percent by 2020. Governor Blunt says renewable energy is important for more than just the environment.
Blunt: It's obvious that energy is critical to economic growth and just as the human body needs energy to grow, our state economy needs power to flourish. New factories and homes don't run on will power alone. They need energy.
The bill also requires 70 percent of new state vehicles to be flex fuel and allows landfills to accept yard waste if they build bio-reactors to make methane.