Real Results For Iowa's Environment
1. Pushing For A New Energy Future
Environment Iowa brought together a coalition of farmers, religious leaders and policy experts to advocate a new energy future. Our report, “Redirecting Iowa’s Energy,” advanced a renewable energy standard of 20 percent and investments in energy efficiency.
2. Upholding Clean Water Enforcement
In 2006 our advocacy and the leadership of Rep. Leach stopped the Bush administration’s “No Protection” policy, which would have taken away Clean Water Act protections for most small waterways and millions of acres of wetlands.
3. Stopping The Clean Air Rollback
In 2005, we helped to defeat the Bush administration’s so-called “Clear Skies” Initiative, which would have weakened the Clean Air Act and allowed more smog, soot, mercury and global warming pollution in Iowa.
4. Finding Solutions To Global Warming
Global warming’s wide-ranging impacts could include disruption of Iowa’s crops and more extreme weather. Environment Iowa advocates bills like the Safe Climate Act, which sets science-based limits on global warming pollution.
5. Fighting Mercury Pollution
In order to protect clean water and wildlife, Environment Iowa is working to reduce toxic mercury from coal-burning power plants by 90 percent. Mercury has also been linked to developmental and learning disabilities.
6. Preserving The Arctic Refuge
Environment Iowa, its allies and a broad-based coalition have stopped Congress from opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling every time it has been proposed—despite the power and influence of the Bush administration and ExxonMobil.
7. Cleaning Up Water Pollution
Environment Iowa and its allies stopped the Bush administration’s EPA from allowing partially treated sewage to flow into waterways across the country, including the Mississippi River.
8. Stopping Dirty Power
Working with citizens in north Iowa, our advocacy led to the rejection of a proposed coal plant by Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power. The plant would have been located in Mitchell County.
9. National Forests
Nearly 60 million acres of roadless areas in our national forests remain protected thanks to our 2006 petition to the Bush administration, opposing the decision to allow logging in these pristine areas. Later that year a federal judge upheld protection for these roadless areas.
10. Protecting Rivers And Streams
We’re standing up to factory farms and other widespread, unchecked polluters to implement statewide environmental regulations and give counties decision-making authority on where new factory farms are built.
