It’s been three years since Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill gutting an important recycling law that had been in place for four decades. SF 2378 changed “the bottle bill” that another Republican governor, Robert Ray, signed in 1978, creating a 5 cent deposit on bottles and cans of soda, beer and wine […]
Sierra Club
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Sierra Club report gives Iowa utilities an F for clean energy plans
Iowa utilities, along with the majority of utilities across the country, scored an F grade in a report from the Sierra Club that rates utilities’ plans to transition to clean energy and to meet increased demand rates through 2035. Iowa utility companies said the report “oversimplifies utility planning” and that they are still striving for […]
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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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‘Suspicious fire’ damages Iowa’s largest sycamore; Gov. Reynolds’ opposition to CAFO rules threatens waterways
Iowa’s largest sycamore tree, which is located in a state park near Burlington, was severely damaged by a “suspicious fire,” the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a news release on Thursday. It’s not known if the tree, estimated to be about 350 years old, will survive. According to the DNR, a visitor […]
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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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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.
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Dakota Access Pipeline owner files lawsuit claiming pipeline opponents are a vast criminal conspiracy
The company behind the Dakota Access pipeline is suing Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and other environmentalist groups as a vast criminal conspiracy engaged in terrorism.
