Public News Service

In partnership with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, volunteers are discovering new bee species and working to fortify bumble bee habitat, in Iowa and across the country. (Xerces/Katie Lamke)

Monday, April 15, 2024

Iowans asked to get busy counting beeezzz, please

The state Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers to help create a new Bumble Bee Atlas. Bees are an …

NEVI covers planning, acquisition, installation and operational costs of the EV unit. (Adobe Stock/serperm73)

IA joins nationwide network of EV charging stations

Iowa is accepting bids from people who want an EV charging station on their land. It's part of a nationwide network of infrastructure designed to …

Atrazine was the most widely used pesticide in Iowa, and applied to 69% of the state's planted acres. (Adobe Stock)

Common produce in IA tops 'Dirty Dozen' pesticide list

The Environmental Working Group has released a new list of produce items most and least affected by pesticides in Iowa and across the country…

Farmers apply fertilizer, including nitrogen, before spring planting so the seed and the growing plant have nutrients available throughout the season. (Adobe Stock)

Program for farmers lowers the risk of reducing nitrogen application

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

California could buy tax credits from large-scale livestock producers in Iowa to offset California diesel emissions. The new regulations rate Iowa's livestock operations 'cleaner' than diesel. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa CAFOs could cash in on California emissions credits

Iowa factory farms could cash in on new proposed carbon emissions tax-credit rules in California. The new emissions standards would allow …

The Wildlife Disease Surveillance for Pandemic Prevention Act seeks to create a Wildlife Disease Surveillance Program though the Wildlife Health Office at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Adobe Stock)

Wildlife disease measure could benefit IA ag industry

Wildlife advocates are asking Congress to pass bill that would help states track diseases killing wildlife across the country. In Iowa, the measure …

The Iowa Environmental Council is calling on the Department of Natural Resources to add better protections for the state's air, soil and groundwater quality in new regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations. (Adobe Stock)

Environmental advocates want tougher CAFO rules

After a two-and-a-half-year process, time is winding down for the public to comment on new rules for concentrated animal feeding operations in Iowa…

Bald eagles sit 3 to 3.5 feet tall and weigh eight to 15 pounds. Their eyes are five to six times more powerful than a human's. (Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources)

Iowa uses public's birds-eye view to monitor bald eagles, amphibians

Iowa wildlife officials are asking outdoor enthusiasts to cast a birds-eye view on bald eagle nests to help track their health, and are also on a …

Rural advocates are pushing for more protection for independent producers in the next Farm Bill. (Adobe Stock)

Rural groups push for environmental protections in next Farm Bill

Even though the current Farm Bill has been extended for a year, rural advocates are speaking up about protecting independent and family farms when …

Iowa has warmed 0.5 to 1 degree in the last century, and floods are becoming more frequent. In the coming decades, the state will have more extremely hot days, which may harm public health in urban areas and corn harvests in rural areas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. (Adobe Stock)

State skips climate-change grants, Iowa cities reap $3 million instead

A handful of Iowa's biggest cities has been awarded $3 million to work on solutions to climate change at the local level. The climate pollution …

The USDA says producers can increase their environmental stewardship activities through the department's Conservation Stewardship Program. (Adobe Stock)

Family farm advocates suspect profit motive behind some 'conservation' practices

Midwest family farm advocates have sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, opposing recent additions to conservation practices they said …

Cedar Rapids, in eastern Iowa, had only 15.5 inches of rain in all of 2022, which is about half of what it would normally get by early October. (Adobe Stock)

IA implements first-ever drought plan

The State of Iowa has just put its first-ever drought plan to work to help it manage one of the longest and most severe dry periods in recent history…

Rural Webster County, Iowa, uses money offered by the state to test water wells. Some 43 million Americans rely on private wells for their water, but many don't have those wells tested for water quality. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

Rural IA boosts efforts to test private wells

By Tony Leys for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collabor…

Nine states in the Upper Midwest make up 32% of total installed wind capacity nationwide, according to the Clean Grid Alliance. (Adobe Stock)

Big Push for Wind as Rural Iowa Economic Development

Green energy advocates are pushing wind power as an economic development tool in rural America. Iowa is among the nation's leaders in wind energy …

With 23.6 million hogs in Iowa, the state continues to dominate the nation's hog production industry. Minnesota and Nebraska rank a distant second and third with 8.6 million and 8.3 million hogs respectively, according to Iowa Source. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Blast EPA Over 'Inaction' on Confinement Rules

Clean-water activists are angry over a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to sidestep action on threats to water posed by factory …

About $2.4 billion in federal funding has been announced for 139 infrastructure projects across Iowa, according to the Biden administration's Investing in America plan. (Adobe Stock)

Website Launched to Help Iowans Track $12 Billion in Federal Money

Progress Iowa has launched a website, allowing people to track federal money spent on critical projects in the state. The group aims to make it …

In 2022, wind turbines were the source of about 10.2% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind now accounts for 64% of Iowa's total energy production. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa Reaches Milestone on Wind-Energy Production

Sixty-four percent of Iowa's energy production now comes from wind - a new record for the state, according to the U.S. Energy Information …

Project developers have announced ambitions for more than 200 new capture facilities to be operating by 2030, capturing more than 220 metric tons of CO2 per year globally, according to the International Energy Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Environmentalists Build Opposition to CO2 Pipelines at Des Moines Hearing

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates carbon dioxide pipelines, and is holding a two-day conference in Des …

Wet Spring Soaks Iowa Drought

For the first time in nearly three years, the widespread drought that has had Iowa in its grip is predicted to end. The latest drought outlook says …

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office is researching the opportunities and tradeoffs of agrivoltaics. (Adobe Stock)

Battle Heats Up Over Iowa Solar-Project Sites

Supervisors in Tama County this week are considering an ordinance to limit the size of solar installations on farmland, to generate no more than 25 …

There are around 35 commercial facilities applying Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage to industrial processes, fuel transformation and power generation, with a total annual capture capacity of almost 45 metric tons of carbon dioxide. (Adobe Stock)

IA Lawmakers Table Ethics Complaint Over CO2 Pipeline Bill

Iowa lawmakers have tabled an ethics complaint against a state senator whom critics said blocked a bill to regulate carbon dioxide pipelines in the st…

Electric-car sales reached a record high in 2021, despite supply chain bottlenecks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with 2020, sales nearly doubled to 6.6 million, according to the International Energy Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Experts School IA Emergency Responders on EV Car Crashes

With more electric vehicles on the road, automakers are training emergency workers in best practices to respond to crashes involving the battery-…

One billion people in more than 193 countries participate in Earth Day activities, according to Earth Day Network. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa Educators Focus on Sustainability During Earth Month

As part of Earth Month, an extension of the annual Earth Day celebration, educators and researchers are calling on Iowans to put sustainability first …

Investing in solar produces zero carbon emissions and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases and improves cost efficiency over time, which will end up saving on energy bills, according to Iowa Interfaith Power and Light. (Adobe Stock)

Opportunities Abound 'Under the Sun' for Houses of Worship

A new report by a prominent national research center said America's houses of worship lag in alternative energy investment. The Lawrence Berkeley …

Concerns over carbon capture and storage include pipelines' safety risks, the cost to taxpayers, corporations' use of eminent domain and carbon capture's dubious climate credentials, according to the nonprofit Food & Water Watch. (Adobe Stock)

IA Eminent Domain Opponents Herald House-Passed Bill

The Iowa House has passed a bill to restrict the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipeline operators in the state. The measure would require …

The U.S. Interior Department manages 400 national parks, 560 national wildlife refuges and nearly 250 million acres of other public lands in America. (Adobe Stock)

Bill Could End IA Public Land Acquisition

A bill passed by the Iowa Senate would repeal programs currently in place for maintaining open space and trails, and require state agencies to submit …

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other national agencies will host a webinar focusing on past and current drought conditions and the impact on rainfall, temperature and precipitation in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa Drought Plan Uses History to Predict Future

Iowa has developed its first-ever plan to predict drought before it happens. Officials said it is designed to mitigate the effects of the drought by …

Beekeepers are positioning hives adjacent to fields planted in clover and grasses, which grow better in the shadow of solar panels than traditional row crops. (Photo courtesy Joel Fassbinder)

Dual-Use Solar Means Healthier IA Honeybees

Farmers, ranchers and livestock producers are working with solar companies in Iowa to find multiple uses for land once used only to plant corn and …

A record 16,836 megawatts of U.S. wind capacity was installed in 2020, bringing the cumulative total to 121,955 megawatts, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. (Adobe Stock)

IA Regulators Make WindPRIME Studies Public

Iowa utilities regulators have published previously undisclosed information on Des Moines-based energy giant MidAmerican Energy's proposal to construc…

The Iowa Water Quality Initiative is a coordinated approach for reducing nutrient loads discharged from the state's largest wastewater treatment plants and agricultural sources, according to Cleanwater Iowa. (Adobe Stock)

IA Water Quality Initiative Aims to Remove Nitrates

The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill to maximize protecting the state's water. Senate File 311 would allow the state Department of …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are regulated by federal, state and local agencies. (Adobe Stock)

Rural Ag Summit Advocates 'Food not Feed'

Progressive agricultural growers returning this week from the Food not Feed Summit in Washington, D.C., are asking their fellow farmers to consider a …

A growing number of projects nationwide focus either on carbon dioxide capture or transport and storage to handle fuel-production byproducts, according to the International Energy Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Iowans Organize to Block Use of Eminent Domain for CO2 Pipelines

An environmental group will host an online rally tonight in support of a bill in the Iowa Legislature to block the use of eminent domain to build capt…

Nitrate levels in water resources have increased in many areas of the world, largely due to applications of inorganic fertilizer and animal manure in agricultural areas, according to the National Institutes of Health. (Adobe Stock)

Des Moines Weighs $50 Million Water-Quality Improvement

City water leaders in Des Moines are considering a $50 million plan to use Mother Nature as a giant water filter to remove nitrates from the city's dr…

Wind power is the most productive renewable energy source in the U.S., generating nearly half of America's renewable energy, according to the World Economic Forum. (Adobe Stock)

IA Regulators Require Release of MidAmerican Wind Energy Studies

Environmental groups are pleased with an Iowa Utilities Board ruling that requires MidAmerican Energy to make planning studies public for its Iowa Win…

U.S. solar power capacity stands at an estimated 97.2 gigawatts. This is enough to power the equivalent of 18 million average American homes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.<br />(Adobe Stock)

Asking IA Lawmakers to Prioritize Water Quality, Renewable Energy

The Center for Rural Affairs wants the Iowa Legislature to prioritize water quality and renewable energy in the new session. One priority is more …

Agriculture makes up 38% of Iowa's total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the nonprofit Food and Water Watch. (Adobe Stock)

Fewer Cases Filed Against Industrial Polluters By EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement of federal pollution rules has plummeted. Last year, the agency referred 88 cases to the Justice …

Some 50 years after passage of the Clean Water Act, half of America's waterways remain polluted, according to a report by the Environmental Integrity Project. (Adobe Stock)

IA Sierra Club Chapter Sues State, Cattle Producer

A state judge will soon hear arguments in a waterway pollution case brought by the Sierra Club's Iowa Chapter. The group is suing the Iowa …

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, a wild turkey can see about seven times better than humans and hear about 10 times better. (Roger Hill/Iowa DNR)

Iowa's Wild Turkeys: A Success Story for Endangered Species

CORRECTION: Wild turkeys were not on the Endangered Species List, as it had not been created at the time they were hunted to near-extinction…

According to the Environmental Working Group, Iowa loses an estimated 5.2 million tons of soil per acre, per year, to erosion. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa Utilities Look to Slow Soil Erosion, Improve Water Quality

A cattle operation in Grinnell has been fined for stockpiling manure on its property that had been washing into a nearby creek. It's the latest in a …

Local government planning experts say while the decommissioning of solar farms isn't as difficult as taking a power plant offline, it still requires things such as an environmental review in bringing the land back to its original state. (Adobe Stock)

Solar Power Grows In IA: Taking the Long View

Drive around Iowa these days, and you're likely to see more evidence of solar power. Policy analysts say it gives the state's clean energy …

In bi-partisan fashion, Iowa leaders have championed wind energy development. But some say the state is behind in studying the broader impact of climate change. (Adobe Stock)

IA Leaders Face New Pressure to Study Climate Change

The effects of climate change, such as droughts and destructive storms, have been visible across Iowa in recent years. That's prompted calls for …

Currently, there are nearly 1,300 Superfund sites on the National Priorities List, including 11 that are located in 10 Iowa towns and cities. (Adobe Stock)

Hazardous Site Costs Shift from Taxpayers Back to Polluters

Starting this month, chemical companies will resume being taxed for cleanup of areas with a lot of leftover toxic waste, also known as Superfund …

Environmental advocates say Iowa has more than four times as many large concentrated<br />animal-feeding operations as it did in 2001. (Adobe Stock)

IA Group: Landowner Rights Under Attack After Hog-Farm Ruling

Opponents of an Iowa Supreme Court decision they say makes it almost impossible to sue corporate farms over pollution, are encouraging landowners to …

Last year, Iowa had more than 2,000 job openings that fall under the green-energy umbrella. (Adobe Stock)

Report: IA Has Strength in Green Jobs, Could Be Stronger

By Laura Aka for Working Nation.Broadcast version by Mike Moen reporting for the Iowa News Service Working Nation-Public News Service Collaboration "…

Aside from health risks, environmental officials say harmful algae blooms pose a threat to Iowa's water recreation industry. When beaches and other access points are temporarily shut down, it discourages plans for boating or swimming. (Adobe Stock)

Going Swimming? Be Mindful of Not-So-Clean Water

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of water recreation season, and before putting on a swimsuit, Iowa environmental experts say being mindful …

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek power line is a nearly $500 million project, stretching more than 100 miles. (Adobe Stock)

Wildlife Refuge Concerns at Heart of Power-Line Controversy

Work continues on a proposed power-line system that would cross into Iowa from Wisconsin, even as court battles play out about the project. …

Farmers face pressure to reduce harmful runoff through conservation practices. But a new report warns that, as factory farmers eat up more cost-sharing funds, smaller producers will be reluctant to apply for aid. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Most Farmers Shut Out by Conservation Programs

By Bryce Oates Broadcast version by Mike Moen Reporting for the Daily Yonder-Iowa News Service Collaboration Many farmers who apply for federal fund…

Roughly 20 million Americans rely on the Mississippi River for drinking water. (Adobe Stock)

Following River Report, Action Pursued to Protect the Mississippi

The Great Lakes, Puget Sound and other notable watersheds are afforded massive federal support to coordinate and fund pollution-reduction efforts…

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IA: Environment