Flood response must address environmental causes

In the wake of this summer’s flooding disaster, Environment Iowa’s Andrew Hug is calling on state officials to address a root cause of flooding: agricultural land use.

Hug is making his case to the governor’s Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO), which was established after the floods. Hug, who was recruited to advise RIO, says that after past floods, officials focused on repairing immediate damage, but then failed to address some of the key causes.  

“Changes are needed in agricultural policy so farmers can shift millions of acres from corn and soybeans into perennial uses without losing their shirts,” said Hug. “Land in perennial use holds the soil and five times as much rain as land in row crops—resulting in an improved environment and reduced flooding.”

Environment Iowa will support upcoming legislation that enables these fundamental changes in Iowa agriculture.

Bands and activists come together for green jobs

Environment Iowa, 1 Sky, and several other cosponsors organized the “Rock the Future: Green Jobs Now” concert in Ames on Sept. 27 as part of the 1 Sky National Day of Action on global warming. About 60 people attended the concert featuring four bands. Throughout the evening, several activists were interviewed by ABC, and Environment Iowa’s Andrew Hug was a featured speaker at the event.

“Iowa has a tremendous resource base of wind and solar power and the ingenuity needed to shift to a new energy economy, which will create good paying jobs while cleaning up our environment,” said Hug. “Iowa must invest in clean 21st century power rather than building two new coal power plants that would pollute our air with soot, our fish with mercury and our planet with carbon dioxide.”

Changes are needed in agricultural policy in order to reduce future floods as well as improve Iowa’s environment.