**Iowa Beyond Coal Campaign**

The Iowa Beyond Coal Team's goal is to pressure for commitments to retiring Iowa's coal plants by the year 2030 in order to save ratepayers money and protect our air, water, and climate. 

Find updates on (20+) Sierra Club Iowa Beyond Coal | Facebook

2022

Tuesday, October 4, 5:30-7pm: Prairies not Pipelines!  Members of the Sierra Club and the Great Plains Action Society will present on the benefits of native prairies and the pitfalls of the proposed pipelines that would run through Woodbury County and nearby counties. Local residents, including representatives from Indigenous peoples, will be present. The program will be from 5:30-7:00 pm, with a prairie walk to follow. Cohosted by Briar Cliff University, Northwest Iowa Group of Sierra Club, The Great Plains Action Group, and Sierra Club Beyond Coal Iowa. Venue: Briar Cliff University campus, 3303 Rebecca Street - Assisi Room, St. Francis Center and Sioux City Prairie. Public encouraged to attend. Call/text us at 712.986.6210 with questions or go to (20+) Prairie Not Pipelines - Sioux City | Facebook. Watch the recording here: https://fb.watch/fZnNXmhF43/

Tuesday, June 28, 5:30 pm: 4th Tuesdays" Grassroots Garden Party! 

Buffalo Rebellion is coming to Northwest Iowa! Join us at Agape Community Garden in Sioux City for an evening of climate justice conversations and learn about how you can get involved.

You can expect to hear from Buffalo Rebellion organizers representing Great Plains Action Society, Iowa Movement for Migrant Justice, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, and Sierra Club Iowa Beyond Coal. We'll discuss the range of issues they specialize in and why they have come together in this fight for climate justice!

This is a family-friendly event. We encourage folks to explore the garden to meet new plants and friends. Seating and shade are limited. Please feel free to BYO folding chair!

Food will be provided until we're out, so please RSVP on Facebook https://fb.me/e/2AHWjkeix , and message Emma or 712.986.6210 if you have dietary restrictions or need directions to the garden. If you'd like to contact Emma Colman, her email address is emma.colman@sierraclub.org  The Agape Community Garden is located in Sioux City, IA, on West 15th Street just two blocks west of Hamilton Blvd. West 15th is easy to spot if you use Wendy's restaurant and the new Casey's gas station as your two corner landmarks. The garden plot is pretty well marked. It's located north across the street from the Mount Zion Baptist Church (white building with blue roof). 

 April 27, 2022, greeting from Emma Colman: 

Read EPA Announces Enforcement of Coal Ash Pond Clean-up

New in 2022! Monthly Iowa Beyond Coal-Northwest Iowa Zoom conversations with Emma Colman. Description: Purpose is to identify skill sets, dig deeper into dynamics of Sioux City, and start planning actions to fight fossil fuel use in Iowa. It will be discussion based and action oriented. All interested are welcome. I plan to host this monthly, ideally in person on occasion. Watch Slideshow Emma presented during the meeting.  

Contact emma.colman@sierraclub.org for details and to receive the link.

2021

New Report Shows Customers Would Save $92 Million If MidAmerican Retires Sioux City Coal Plants 
George Neal North and South Power Plants Lost $27.5 Million Over the Last Five Years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Contact: Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394

DES MOINES, IA -- A new report, released today by the Sierra Club, finds that MidAmerican Energy’s George Neal North and South coal plants near Sioux City have lost $27.5 million for its customers over the last five years. Low energy prices in 2020 have only worsened the performance of these plants, which are the most expensive in MidAmerican’s coal fleet in Iowa. The report, which is based on analysis of MidAmerican’s own data, shows that by committing to retire both plants by 2023, MidAmerican could save customers $92 million. 

“Anyone who’s visited MidAmerican’s website has probably seen the wind turbines touted on the homepage. But all that new wind is an addition to, not a replacement of, dirty coal generation. MidAmerican has not even considered whether retiring its existing coal plants could provide savings to customers. So we did the math for them. It would,” said Katie Rock, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Iowa.

Iowa’s continued reliance on coal-fired power plants remains the state’s largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. The size of MidAmerican’s coal fleet makes it the single largest carbon polluter in the state and the utility remains one of the 20 largest utility companies in the nation with no climate commitment or emissions reductions target. Retiring George Neal North and South would be the carbon equivalent of taking over 750,000 cars off the road, yet it still reflects only 17% of MidAmerican’s carbon emissions from coal. 

“It’s great that MidAmerican wants to be the first utility in the nation to provide 100% renewable energy to its customers, but for that promise to matter to its ratepayers and our environment, MidAmerican needs to end the unnecessary pollution from burning coal that we’re paying to support.,” said Carrie Radloff, chair of the Northwest Iowa Sierra Club group.

MidAmerican ranks 14th in the volume of coal generation by a U.S. operating company while parent company Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s (BHE) western utility subsidiary PacifiCorp ranks first. When combined, these companies leave BHE ranked 4th in the volume of coal generated power by U.S. parent companies.

In the fall 2019, PacifiCorp released updates to its long-term energy plans. Included was PacifiCorps’ announcement to retire its entire coal fleet by 2040, including phasing out 2800 MW of coal by 2030, and replacing it with lower cost wind, solar, storage and expanded transmission investments. To date, MidAmerican has made no public commitment to retire any of it’s Iowa coal fleet. If you'd like to help out with the Beyond Coal Campaign in Iowa, please contact Katie Rock (she/her): 515-777-9104 (cell) or 515-512-9007 (office)