September Newsletter

September 18, 2024

The September, 2024 newsletter from the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club is now available.  In this issue, you will find:

CO2 Pipeline Update

  • 80% of Iowans Oppose Eminent Domain for Private Use -  The data from this poll backs up what we see first-hand.

  • Pipeline Survey Law Comes Before Iowa Supreme Court on Oct. 8 at 7pm at the Iowa Capitol in the Supreme Court Chambers, Des Moines, Iowa.  You will be able to attend the hearing in person.  Brian Jorde will be arguing the case on behalf of the landowners who challenged the survey law.  Also prior to the hearing, we will hold a rally on October 8 at 5pm on the Capitol West Steps in Des Moines. 

  • Pipelines: We're headed to court - On June 25 of this year the Iowa Utilities Commission issued a decision granting Summit a permit for the pipeline and granting Summit the right to use eminent domain.  The Iowa Chapter, and other parties, are seeking judicial review in the courts.  We are asking the court to reverse the Commission decision.

  • Sign Our Petition on Safety Rules for CO2 Pipelines - We need the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to act expeditiously and propose the strongest version of "Pipeline Safety: Safety of Carbon Dioxide and Hazardous Liquid Pipelines" possible.  Join us in asking for the strongest safety standards possible to protect our communities by signing your name and sending a message to PHMSA. 

Pollution & Recycling

  • Nishnabotna River Polluted Again - In late August, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) investigated a bright blue pool of liquid that was headed toward the West Nishnabotna River in Oakland, in Pottawattamie County.  From all indications, the liquid had entered the river, based on soil staining.  Samples were sent to the State Hygienic Lab for analysis.  DNR staff were trying to determine the source of the spill which was west of Oakland.

  • Take Our Survey on Iowa's Bottle Deposit Program - The bottle deposit law changed in 2022, reducing the number of redemption sites and increasing the fee paid to the redemption centers from 1 cent to 3 cents per container.  The grocery stores and convenience stores have been given broad exemptions allowing them to avoid taking empty bottles and cans.  Several counties do not have redemption centers.  In the months after the 2025 legislature adjourns, there will be an interim committee looking at the changes that were made in 2022 and making suggestions – enforcement of the law, civil penalties assessed, number of redemption centers, determining if the redemption center reimbursement amount is adequate, etc.  This year, some members of the legislature were discussing killing the bottle deposit law.  Consequently we need to watch the legislature in 2025 with respect to killing the bottle deposit law and scheduling the interim committee.  In preparation for the legislature and the interim committee meeting, we have been gathering information about how the bottle redemption program is working.  Please answer our survey so we can be prepared as we talk to the legislators in 2025. 

Protecting the Environment

  • RSVP for October 5 – Sierra Club Annual Meeting - RSVPs are due September 26.

  • Lunch and Learns Fridays at noon

  • Bitcoin Mine Defeated in Woodbury County - The Northwest Iowa Group and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club engaged in defeating a request to the Board of Adjustment for a permit to build a Bitcoin mining operation near Correctionville in Woodbury County, Iowa.  We were concerned about the source of the significant amount of energy required for the operation, and the two nearby coal-fired power plants that have been running below capacity. 

  • Book discussion on "Crossings - How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" by Ben Goldfarb, December 3, 7pm.

Plus