More than 60 million Americans get their water from sources contaminated with elevated levels of nitrate pollution, which is most likely coming from agricultural manure or fertilizer runoff, according to a new analysis. The report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) used federal drinking water data and found that roughly 6,114 US water systems that […]
Environmental news
Posted inLetters
Letter from Joe Bolkcom: Reynolds has failed to protect Iowa County workers and residents
By Joe Bolkcom, Iowa City Why was Governor Reynolds the only Iowan to be surprised that a company trying to turn roofing shingles into diesel fuel would require a poisonous mix of toxic, dangerous chemicals? And why wasn’t it obvious to her that the workers involved in turning shingles into diesel fuel would be working […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Greenhouse gas emissions decline in Iowa as renewable energy use increases
Iowa’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased last year, thanks, in part, to increases in the amount of wind and solar power the state is producing, according to a new report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The 2016 Iowa Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report shows the state emitted 128 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, a decrease of two percent from 2015 levels.
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa faces increased soil erosion, more extreme rain events as humidity becomes a bigger factor in climate change
The old complaint, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” may soon take on a new ominous meaning, according to the 2017 Iowa Climate Statement.
