Public News Service

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources must report annual greenhouse gas inventories to the legislature and governor each year. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa releases 'Condition of the State' report on clean energy goals

Alternative energy advocates say Iowa is making significant progress on reaching its green power goals by 2035. The state has become a national …

Iowa has provided more than $3.3 billion to communities to help finance water quality improvement projects over the years, according to the Iowa Environmental Council. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa seeks to remove dangerous lead water pipes

Iowa is getting federal help to eliminate lead water pipes in the state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is working with local water …

Practical Farmers of Iowa is offering landowners incentives to restore habitat to low-yield areas. (Adobe Stock)

Incentives for farmers work to restore Iowa habitat, protect soil

Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for landowners who want to help restore natural habitat on their property, and get help doing it. It's part of …

The rusty patched bumble bee is a critical pollinator and keystone species in many ecosystems, including in Iowa. (Adobe Stock)

$635K allocated for Iowa rusty patched bumble bee habitat

An Iowa county has received money as part of a $48.5 million federal grant to protect the rusty patched bumble bee and preserve its habitat. The …

A high-tech approach to studying Iowa's future soil health

Farmers in Iowa are studying interactions between crops, water usage, carbon and nitrogen storage, and how those factors combine to affect longterm …

Cover crops protect soil from erosion and also help with weed control. (Practical Farmers of Iowa)

Helping IA farmers get more cover crops into the ground

An Iowa nonprofit group helps ag-related businesses grow to serve more farmers and get more cover crops planted in the state. Cover crops like rye …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes when doing strenuous activity outside, which translates to 24 to 32 ounces per hour. (Adobe Stock)

Health care professionals urge caution in Iowa heat

Health care experts are reminding Iowans to be careful in the summertime sun. From sunburns and bike safety to water accidents and sports injuries…

The 1,117 tornadoes reported for the January-through-May period this year is second only to 2011's 1,238 tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Adobe Stock)

Changing climate contributes to record Iowa tornado season

Weather researchers at Iowa State University say a shifting climate and warmer ocean temperatures are partially responsible for a record number of tor…

Iowa family farm advocates are calling on Congress to reduce the subsidies given to large-scale factory operations in the Farm Bill, and invest more in conservation programs that help small ag producers. (Adobe Stock)

Family farmers call for tougher CAFO regulations in Farm Bill

Family farm advocates are calling for cuts in federal subsidies to large animal feeding operations - technically known as Concentrated Animal Feeding …

Scientists at Iowa State University are creating biochar to mix with Iowa's rich soil to sequester carbon, create prime growing conditions for crops and soak up climate-warming fossil fuel emissions. (Adobe Stock)

Scientists in IA target 'low-hanging fruit' to sequester carbon

By Lindsey Byman for Inside Climate News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

Iowa's hunters and anglers are advocating to increase wildlife habitat and ecosystem funding in the next Farm Bill, which the U.S. House Agriculture Committee is set to discuss for the first time this week. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa hunters, anglers push for Farm Bill support

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to take up the first version of the new Farm Bill tomorrow morning. Outdoor enthusiasts in Iowa …

Karst, or extremely loose and porous soil, is a well-known determinant in how much nitrate can leach into nearby ground and well water supplies, eventually making its way into drinking water. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa leaps state regulators, calls on EPA for emergency water help

The Iowa Environmental Council has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to invoke emergency powers to protect sensitive soil and groundwater…

The eclipse balloon, test-launched here by Iowa State students, is part of the University's High Altitude Balloon Experiments in Technology program. (Iowa State University)

IA eclipse research balloon pops, sends 'cool' data back to Earth

Environmental scientists in Iowa are starting to analyze data they collected with a research balloon during the recent solar eclipse. The mission was …

Critical infrastructure, such as the I-74 bridge, will be at an increased risk of flooding, threatening connectivity across the region, according to new climate change modeling from the National Wildlife Federation and Prairie Rivers Network. (Adobe Stock)

Public contributes to climate change research

A new report from the National Wildlife Federation warns that the effects of climate change in the Quad Cities, along the Iowa-Illinois border…

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)

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…

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IA: Environment