Former Senator Waylon Brown Takes New Nonprofit Position

Brown announced in a press release last week that he had abruptly resigned from his position as Iowa senator.

Brown will work for Clean Grid Alliance, a St. Paul-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting renewable energy in the Midwest. The nonprofit engages in both advocacy and education to support the continued development of wind and solar power, as well as storage facilities to store the energy they produce.

“I am excited to continue serving communities across the Midwest in this new role at CGA,” Brown said in a press release announcing his new position. “For rural communities to thrive, we must address grid stability and energy independence. CGA is known for being thoughtful and effective, and I look forward to joining the team.”

Brown did not provide a reason for his resignation from the Senate when it was announced last week. “I will be forever grateful to the people of my district who entrusted me to represent them in the Iowa State Capitol. I am grateful to my wife, Julie, and our two children, who have supported me throughout my tenure as state senator,” he said in a news release.

Brown had served in the Iowa Senate since defeating incumbent Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm in 2016. He represented Mitchell, Worth and Cerro Gordo counties, as well as parts of Floyd County. Under state law, Iowa Republicans must now hold a special convention where party delegates from the 30th District will choose a new candidate to take Brown’s seat on the ballot in November. It is unclear when or where the convention will be held.

The new career move fits neatly into Brown’s history of halting legislation to curtail preemption laws while chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. A recent IUB ruling allowing Summit Carbon Solutions to use preemption laws for a carbon capture pipeline could pave the way for similar renewable energy projects.

Brown received a $2,000 campaign donation from the Iowa Corn Grower’s Association during the 2020 election cycle. The Iowa Corn Grower’s Association has advocated for the Summit carbon capture pipeline.

Brown also wrote a guest column published in the Des Moines Register in April 2023, in which he urged farmers to seize the opportunity to turn to renewable energy sources to diversify their portfolios, arguing that sustainable energy can bring jobs and prosperity to rural Iowa.