U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is scheduled to make a stop in Newton on Wednesday morning.
Grassley is scheduled to take questions and address the achievements of workers from TPI Composites and Trinity Structural Towers in Newton, who are helping fuel Iowa’s booming wind energy sector.
American Wind Energy Association CEO Tom Kiernan will speak on Iowa's role in leading the national economic success story that wind energy has become, now up to a record 88,000 jobs and the nation's fastest-growing occupation, "wind turbine technician." Grassley will take questions from members of the press following the event.
Grassley and Kiernan will appear at 10 a.m. Wednesday at TPI Composites, 2300 N. 33rd Ave. E. in Newton.
Wind energy provided more than 31 percent of Iowa's in-state electricity production in 2015, making it the first state in the U.S. to surpass the 30 percent mark. More than 6,000 Iowa wind workers have helped make that happen. Along the way, wind power has attracted nearly $12 billion in capital investment in the state, with more coming — including MidAmerican Energy's recent announcement of the largest economic development project in Iowa's history.