As agricultural land prices have increased drastically over the past two decades and young, want-to-be farmers have an increasingly difficult time starting their operations, politicians nationally, and here in Iowa, have questioned if corporate or foreign interests are to blame. Iowa gubernatorial candidates Zach Lahn and Rob Sand both have said corporate or out-of-state ownership […]
Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
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‘Bullying does not work on me’: Nate Willems, Democrat for Iowa AG, defends ad after ethanol company threatens to sue
Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general Nate Willems said Wednesday that “bullying does not work” on him and he won’t be pulling ads targeting current Attorney General Brenna Bird in relation to an Iowa pollution case. Willems’ campaign has been threatened with a lawsuit from biofuel producer POET, after the campaign released an ad criticizing […]
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Coal increased its share of Iowa electricity generation in 2025, report shows
Iowa Environmental Council’s annual “condition of the state” report on Iowa’s electric generation shows that while wind continues to dominate Iowa’s electricity generation sources, there has been a “reversal” in the state’s progress to meet energy demand with renewable sources. For the first time in several years, according to the report, the share of energy […]
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AG Brenna Bird defends state’s decision to give Iowa voter info to the Trump administration
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Monday at the Iowa State Fair that the state should do everything it can to prevent illegal voting, including turning over voter data to the U.S. Department of Justice. Bird, who is running for reelection, spoke Monday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox where she highlighted the work […]
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Iowa has 15,309 animal feeding operations, aerial mapping finds — thousands more than the state monitors
An analysis from Environmental Working Group (EWG) mapped 15,309 animal feeding operations in Iowa, which is several thousand more than what is tracked and monitored by the state. The group utilized satellite and aerial imagery to map animal feeding operations across Iowa and estimate the amount of manure they produce. The report also notes a […]
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Iowa had twice the drinking water violations for nitrates in 2025 as in 2024
A report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shows Iowa had 36 nitrate-related drinking water violations in 2025, which is more than double the number reported in 2024. Each year, DNR submits a compliance report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency detailing violations of federal drinking water standards, from excessive contamination levels to […]
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Auditor: School choice cost Iowans $258 million, is ‘paying tuition for the wealthiest families’
Nearly 79 percent of students who used Iowa’s funding program for K-12 private schools were “already projected” to attend private schools, according to a report released Wednesday by Iowa Auditor Rob Sand. The Iowa Department of Education called the report a “policy advocacy brief” that critiqued statutory provisions of the Iowa Education Savings Account (ESA) […]
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More than 700 Iowa water segments are impaired, according to a new state report
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources released a draft version of its 2026 biennial integrated report Tuesday, which listed more than 700 segments of rivers, lakes or wetlands in the state as impaired. The impaired list looks at retroactive data and determines if a water segment meets, or fails to meet, designated criteria for uses […]
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Bill making it near impossible to designate Iowa waterways as impaired due to fecal bacteria contamination advances
A bill that advanced in a House subcommittee and committee Tuesday would prohibit a water segment from being designated as impaired unless the Iowa Department of Natural Resources identified the percentage of fecal bacteria coming from each animal species that contributed to its impairment. Every two years, the DNR must submit a list to the […]
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Shoreline work, dredging, algae prevention part of state’s 2026 lake restoration plan
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has about $9.6 million annually of state appropriated money to improve water quality and recreational opportunities at Iowa lakes. Most of these projects take several years to complete, but DNR’s annual report for 2025 and plan for 2026 show shoreline work, sediment removal, nutrient reduction and chemical treatments that […]
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Iowa DNR’s wildlife action plan calls for more prairie, more public lands and protection for 800 species
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is seeking feedback on its 25-year wildlife action plan, which must be reviewed every 10 years per federal law. The action plan, according to DNR, is a strategy for how the department will conserve wildlife in the state. It was last updated and reviewed in 2015, but was initially […]
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‘We know enough’: Researchers call for Iowa ag regulations to protect public health
Researchers and public health advocates said Wednesday that water quality and land use continue to be modifiable elements impacting public health, and in particular cancer, in Iowa. The experts spoke to a crowded conference room in the Olmsted Center at Drake University during the 2025 Iowa Nature Summit that touched on policies, practices and programs […]
