Blog

  • Unlocking More Power from the Grid That We Already Have

    posted by Raihan Rashidi on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 After decades of relatively flat electricity demand, the United States is entering a period of rapid growth in energy needs. The country's transmission system has not kept pace. Large amounts of new generation are waiting to connect to the grid, creating congestion and supply bottlenecks that drive up electricity costs. This is where advanced transmission technologies come into play to enable more electricity to flow through the grid in a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective way.

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  • Iowa's Water Quality Transparency Problem

    posted by Colleen Fowle on Thursday, March 12, 2026 The true measure of a nutrient reduction strategy must be improved water quality with documented reductions in nitrogen. Scattered, uncoordinated efforts, however well-intentioned, are neither fiscally responsible nor timely enough to address the state's water quality and public health crisis.

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  • Building a Path Forward for Renewable Energy Siting in Iowa

    posted by Noah Daniel on Thursday, March 5, 2026 As Iowa's energy landscape continues to evolve, communities across the state face an important moment of opportunity. Renewable energy has long played a key role in Iowa's economic success, environmental leadership, and rural vitality.

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  • Mapping Lead in Water: New Data Show Contamination Risk for Iowa Families

    posted by Cody Smith on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Lead in drinking water is a critical public health threat for Iowans, and new data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency late last year showed how urgent action is needed in Iowa. Lead is a known contaminant in drinking water, contributing to serious health and developmental problems, especially for children and pregnant women. Read on to learn more.

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  • Retracted Glyphosate Study: Making the Case Against Bayer's Immunity

    posted by Sarah Howe on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Glyphosate - a key ingredient used in agricultural pesticides such as Roundup - is the most widely used herbicide in the world. In 1974, Monsanto introduced the herbicide for agricultural use under the Roundup brand name; Roundup Ready soybean seeds were approved for use by the EPA ahead of the 1996 growing season after which use of glyphosate increased significantly. Read on to learn more.

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  • Radon in Iowa: The Hidden Carcinogen We Can No Longer Ignore

    posted by Cody Smith on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 When we think about our environment, we often think about our air, our water, and, in Iowa especially, we think about our soil. In terms of agricultural health, Iowa was gifted with some of the healthiest soil in human history. Yet, buried in the soil that has sustained life in Iowa for millennia lays another naturally occurring element: radon. Read on to learn more.

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  • Beach Advisories Hit a Decade High: 2025 Monitoring Recap

    posted by Sarah Howe on Friday, September 5, 2025 Since 2014, IEC has monitored and reported beach advisory statistics to promote public safety and awareness of harmful pollutants to Iowa's recreational water bodies. Since IEC began tracking advisories in 2014, this year has had the highest number of state advisories, and 20 more advisories than the 2024 beach season. Read on to learn more.

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  • Managing Water Quality Issues with Ecosystem Restoration

    posted by Sarah Howe on Friday, August 29, 2025 While Iowa has long been a productive agricultural state, intensive manipulation of the land has degraded Iowa's air, water, and soil. More than 90% of Iowa's landscape is privately owned agricultural land, with the majority used for row cropping. Farmers are expected to produce a strong yield and raise more livestock year after year, regardless of environmental impacts. Read on to learn more.

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  • Iowa's Blazing Temps are Driving Rise in Heat-Related Illnesses

    posted by Cody Smith on Friday, July 25, 2025 Extreme heat has dangerous impacts on our health and our infrastructure. Heat waves are the deadliest form of natural disasters in the U.S., and Iowa has not been spared from this growing threat.

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  • Addressing CAFO Pollution Through Enhanced Waste Management and Research Initiatives

    posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 After World War II, American meat production shifted towards industrial farms due to high demand, antibiotics, and the mechanization of agriculture. This increase in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), an industrialization of livestock production that keeps large groups of animals in a small area and generates massive quantities of manure. Read on to learn more.

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