The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn a January 2024 proposed rule that would have reduced the discharge of nutrients and pollutants from meat packing plants and slaughterhouses. The agency said it chose to withdraw the rules in an effort to prioritize the nation’s food supply and to keep food prices down. The proposed rules […]
Environmental Law
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa groups tell congressional delegation bill would ‘gut’ Clean Water Act
Environmental and community groups from Iowa sent a letter Thursday to the state’s congressional delegation urging them to oppose a House bill that would “gut critical clean water protections.” The groups in the letter say Iowa is “on the frontlines of a drinking water emergency” and the changes the bill plans to make to the […]
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Trump EPA rescinds Biden-era decision to expand Iowa’s impaired water list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met the requirements of the Clean Water Act to identify waterways with identified pollutants […]
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Iowa AG leads letter questioning legality of net-zero, saying it’s part of a ‘radical green scheme’
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led a multistate letter Friday questioning whether a new net-zero carbon emissions standard for businesses is illegal under state and federal law. The letter was sent to David Kennedy, CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a group that recently released its Financial Institutions Net-Zero standard. This standard is meant […]
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No vote on bill protecting pesticide manufacturers from cancer lawsuits as Iowa House Republicans balk
The Iowa House will not vote on a bill passed by the Senate that would have provided new protections against lawsuits for corporations that produce pesticides, Speaker Pat Grassley said on Thursday. Even though Republicans control 67 of the 100 seats in the House, there was not enough support for the bill to guarantee passage. […]
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Pipeline opponents seek procedural halt in Iowa after North Dakota decision
State regulators should postpone a final hearing for a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa because North Dakota rejected the project route, opponents of the pipeline say. The Sierra Club of Iowa and landowners have asked the Iowa Utilities Board to pause the permit proceedings for Summit Carbon Solutions. Its evidentiary hearing is poised to […]
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Iowa courts deliver two rare wins for environmental groups
This story originally appeared in LV Daily, Little Village’s Monday-Friday email newsletter. Sign up to have it delivered for free to your inbox. Iowa courts handed down two decisions on Friday that were wins for environmental groups looking to safeguard one of the state’s few pristine waterways, and trying to encourage Iowa’s biggest utility to […]
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The oil is flowing, but one Cedar Rapids lawyer continues Iowa’s fight against the DAPL
Based on first impression, Wally Taylor doesn’t seem like a lawyer anyone would describe as a pit bull. But first impressions can be misleading. Sitting in the small, book-lined office of his one-man law practice in Cedar Rapids, Taylor has a genial, upbeat demeanor as he discusses his four-decade-long career practicing environmental law. But even though his demeanor never changes, his clear determination to keep fighting until all options are exhausted show why his colleague Carolyn Raffensperger calls him a pit bull.
