Newsroom

Iowa Utilities Commission Approves Settlement for Largest Solar Proposal in Iowa

posted 9/11/2025
The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a settlement between MidAmerican Energy and stakeholder parties, including Environmental Law & Policy Center, Iowa Environmental Council, and Sierra Club, to authorize 800 megawatts of solar in Iowa. This is the largest solar approval in state history and would quintuple MidAmerican's existing solar resources.

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IEC Statement on EPA Rescission of 2024 Impaired Waters List Disapproval

posted 8/14/2025
The public has a vital interest in nitrate concentrations in our water. EPA's unprecedented rescission ignores the challenges Iowans face in protecting our drinking water.

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Clean Water, Sustainable Agriculture Groups Vow Continued Vigilance to Protect Wetlands After Victory in District Court

posted 8/8/2025
The Pacific Legal Foundation and its plaintiff who lost its case in a federal district court in Iowa did not appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to continue their misguided attempt to eliminate voluntary wetlands protections that are part of the longstanding "Swampbuster" provisions of the U.S. Farm Bill.?The plaintiff had a July 28 deadline to file an appeal.

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IEC Decries Settlement as "Grossly Inadequate" in Fifth-Largest Fish Kill in Iowa History

posted 8/1/2025
This week, the Iowa Attorney General's office announced a settlement with NEW Cooperative in Red Oak over a major fish kill event in March of 2024. The settlement is grossly inadequate in addressing the financial and environmental harms of one of Iowa's most significant aquatic disasters in recent history.

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New IEC Report Highlights Health and Environmental Impacts of Coal Ash Pollution in Iowa

posted 7/28/2025
Coal ash, also called coal combustion residuals (CCR), is a byproduct of burning coal and is one of the largest industrial waste streams in the United States. A report released today from the Iowa Environmental Council provides a detailed analysis of Iowa's utility coal ash sites, including both active sites and legacy ash ponds and landfills.

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Air Quality Monitoring Data Show Additional Steps Needed to Protect Public Health

posted 6/13/2025
Recent air quality monitoring data show exceedances of air quality standards and DNR needs to increase its monitoring, according to comments from three environmental groups. The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), Sierra Club, and Environmental Law & Policy Center submitted comments to the Iowa DNR highlighting air quality worse than federal standards and urging increased air monitoring stations, especially for large communities suffering from increased asthma rates.

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Victory: Judge Rules Against Dangerous Case Seeking to Gut Wetland Protections

posted 5/29/2025
Federal judge C.J. Williams of the Northern District of Iowa ruled in favor of sustainable agriculture groups and family farmers in a Project 2025-motivated lawsuit, CTM Holdings, LLC v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, which sought to gut longstanding clean water and wetlands protections.

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Woodbury County Residents Install Air Monitors to Track Air Pollution Levels

posted 5/20/2025
Following a 2024 analysis that found Iowa's air monitoring network is not adequately placed to capture air pollution levels near coal plants, a group of citizens throughout Woodbury County has installed air monitors to track pollution levels in the community.

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Alliant Agrees to Stop Toxic Discharges after Environmental Groups Announce Intent to Sue

posted 5/13/2025
Alliant Energy's Iowa affiliate, Interstate Power and Light (IPL), has agreed to stop discharges of polluted groundwater under an Ottumwa coal ash landfill. The move followed a 60-day notice of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act for unauthorized discharges issued by the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), Sierra Club, and Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC).

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IEC Responds to Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rulemaking

posted 5/2/2025
On April 23, The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) commented on the solicitation for stakeholder feedback on "WOTUS Notice: The Final Response to SCOTUS; Establishment of a Public Docket" from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new rulemaking would narrow the scope of WOTUS to comply with the Sackett decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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