The Iowa House Judiciary Committee advanced bills Thursday to block hazardous liquid pipelines carrying carbon dioxide from the use of eminent domain. Two bills also advanced granting rights to intervene in Iowa Utilities Commission proceedings, which GOP lawmakers have done against the case of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. HSB 287 specifies that the […]
Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Iowa lawmakers move to prioritize corn, pork and dairy in school lunches
Iowa senators advanced a bill Tuesday to implement nutrition guidelines and education in Iowa schools that prioritize the state’s “unique” food sources like corn, pork and dairy. The bill would also update school health class curriculum to include a section on nutrition and include instruction on food production and the benefits of local sourcing in […]
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‘State mandated misinformation’: Republican lawmakers work to restrict medication abortion in Iowa
An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a bill Tuesday that would restrict access to abortion medication by mail, require physicians to inform patients about the potential to reverse a medication abortion and collect written consent of the patient seeking an abortion. HSB 186 references “recent developing research” that indicates medication-induced abortions are not always effective in ending […]
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Water advocates challenge DNR final decision on permit for cattle facility near Bloody Run Creek
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a final action on a water-use permit to a 10,000-head cattle operation in Clayton County, following a years-long legal battle with an area environmental group. The group, Driftless Water Defenders, announced Thursday it would appeal the DNR decision to renew the permit. A group of citizens initially challenged […]
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EPA confirms additions to Iowa’s impaired waters list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affirmed its November decision to add seven additional segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters, following a public comment period. EPA announced in November it had partially approved the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ assessment of surface water quality in the state and called for the inclusion of additional segments […]
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Summit Carbon Solutions is threatening to sue pipeline opponents
Several opponents of the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions carbon sequestration pipeline have received letters on behalf of the company threatening lawsuits over perceived defamation, an environmental group representative said. Jess Mazour, a conservation program associate with the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, said in a press release Thursday she received a letter from the company, “threatening […]
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Bird flu detected in Palo Alto County flock, disaster proclamation extended
The highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in a commercial turkey flock in Palo Alto County just days after the bird flu was detected in an egg-laying flock in Sioux County. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the fifth detection of the H5N1 influenza virus this year on Sunday, and Gov. Kim […]
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EPA adds seven segments to Iowa’s 2024 impaired water list and questions Iowa’s assessment of nitrogen pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, after rejecting a portion of Iowa’s 2024 list of impaired water segments, is now seeking public comment on its decision to add seven water segments to the list. Under the Clean Water Act, states are required to assess surface-water quality and submit a report to the EPA every two years […]
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Iowa produces the most factory farm waste in the country, new report shows
Factory farms in Iowa produce 109 billion pounds of waste each year, according to a new report from Food and Water Watch about concentrated livestock operations in the U.S. That’s 25 times more waste than what all Iowans combined produce, according to the report. “Factory Farm Nation” is an analysis of the 2022 U.S. Department […]
