Recent Action

States band together to protect Great Lakes

Environmental groups recently took two steps toward protecting the Great Lakes. In Ohio, researchers for Environment Ohio exposed that in the first 6 months of 2005, sewage treatment plants released more than 10.9 billion gallons of untreated sewage into Lake Erie. Media attention is helping to garner support for protecting Ohio beachgoers from sewage pollution.

At the same time, our allies are tackling another challenge facing the Lakes: massive water loss. As companies (including bottled water companies) continue to drain more water, Great Lakes’ water levels are falling. Lower levels endanger wildlife habitat and diminish opportunities for fishing and boating.

We’ve joined our allies in the Great Lakes region in support of the Great Lakes Compact—an agreement that will limit large-scale withdrawals of the Lakes’ water. This summer, advocates with Environment Illinois helped to win passage of the Great Lakes Compact in Illinois, and our allies in Michigan are seeking to strengthen water protections.

Overlooking Rosy Mound Natural Area dunes to Lake Michigan

Global warming law to cut pollution 80 percent

In July, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed the nation’s strongest global warming bill into law, a bill promoted by our colleagues at Environment New Jersey. The Global Warming Response Act will reduce the state’s global warming pollution to below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below current levels by 2050—stronger than even California’s previous high bar.

California, Hawaii and Minnesota have also passed statewide caps on global warming pollution. Seven other states—Washington, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts—are considering similar legislation. In each of these states, our allies are leading the campaign to pass legislation. We’re hoping for similar action in Des Moines.

Planned Giving

When you include Environment Iowa in your will, you leave a legacy of activism that will preserve our environment for decades to come. Please consider including Environment Iowa in your estate and major giving plans.

For more information call: 1-800-841-7299 or e-mail us.

Mission Statement

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind Environment Iowa. We focus exclusively on protecting Iowa’s air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Credits

Photos. Front page: Top, Nate Hall; Center, Dove Imaging; Bottom, NREL. Page 2: Left, Visual Field; Bottom, Craig Osay. Page 3: Top left, Sharon D; Right, Coverstock; Bottom, Seeview 9. Page 4: Top, Michael West; Bottom, NREL.
Editor: Matthew Davis. Contributors: Cecily Anderson, Justin Boyles, Zach Cullimore, Matthew Curtis, Leana Nordstrom, Ryan Moeckly, Jenna Perry, Dan Platt, Nathan Proctor, Drew Stephan, Jenne Turner, Chris Wand. Publications Director: Richard J. Hannigan.
Design: Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113
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