IOWA SIERRAN
Autumn 2015
IMPORTANT
NEWSLETTER NOTICE
By Wally Taylor, Iowa Chapter Chair
The Iowa Chapter Executive Committee has decided
to provide the Iowa Sierran newsletter to our members
electronically. This will allow us to keep our members
informed on a monthly basis. That way you will be kept
up to date on Chapter activities and the issues affecting
Iowa’s environment.
The paper edition of the Iowa Sierran will end in
December. The electronic newsletter will be sent to you
via e-mail. If you have not been receiving the electronic
version and want to begin receiving an electronic copy,
please send your name, address, and e-mail address to
pjmtaylor@aol.com.
If we do not receive an e-mail address from you, we
will not be able to send you an electronic newsletter.
If you want to view past articles, you can find them
at www.sierraclub.org/iowa/iowa-e-newsletter.
More About the
Annual Meeting
Volume 45, No. 2
Annual Meeting Planned for October 10
Crown Point Community Center, Johnston
The Iowa Chapter annual meeting will be held on October
10 at the Crown Point Community Center in Johnston. Sierra
Club members from across the state gather to talk about the
environment, enjoy a meal, and hear a great speaker. The
schedule is
- 11:00 to 12:00 – registration
- 12:00 – Buffet including a meat and cheese platter for
sandwiches on Artisan breads, market salads, desserts and
beverages.
Cost is $25 per person. Pre-pay by sending a check to Sierra
Club, Iowa Chapter, 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280, Des
Moines, Iowa, 50310. Reservations must be made by October
2. Please find a reservation form at: http://sierraclub.org/iowa/
annual-meeting
After the meal, the speaker will be Steve Horn and the
Chapter will be presenting awards to individuals and groups
that have done outstanding work in protecting the environment.
The Chapter will be presenting awards to individuals and
groups that have done outstanding work in protecting the
environment. Guest Speaker Steve Horn Steve Horn is a Research Fellow at DeSmogBlog and
a freelance investigative journalist based out of Madison,
Everybody needs beauty as well
as bread, places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and
give strength to body and soul.
– John Muir
As reported in the Spring-Summer Iowa Sierran, a company
called Dakota Access is proposing to construct a 30-inch
diameter pipeline to transport crude oil from North Dakota,
through Iowa, to a point in Illinois, and then to refineries on
the Gulf of Mexico. The Iowa Chapter has been in for forefront
of the opposition to this pipeline.
The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), a three-member board
appointed by Governor Branstad, must consider whether to
grant a permit for construction of the pipeline and whether to
grant Dakota Access the power of eminent domain to force
landowners to allow easements over their property. The Iowa
Chapter will be intervening in the IUB proceeding, along with
many other individuals and groups to make sure a permit is not
granted.
The IUB has issued a schedule for the permit process. Parties
must intervene by July 27. The hearing in which evidence will
be presented is tentatively scheduled for November or early
December. The IUB anticipates issued a decision by the end
of December this year or early January of next year.
Every major water body in the state will be crossed by the
pipeline. Even though the pipeline will be buried underneath the
rivers, the oil flossing through the pipeline will be 150 degrees,
potentially changing the habitat around the river.
The pipeline will be crossing several natural areas. Not only
will these areas be subjected to clearing the easement of trees,
there will be damage from open trenching and the potential risk
from a leaking pipeline.
A significantly important archaeological area is found in the
Big Sioux River area. This area was once home to a community
of several thousand Native Americans. This area will be crossed
by the pipeline.
The pipeline would provide limited benefit to Iowans in
terms of jobs, fuel, or economic development. Dave Swenson,
an economist from Iowa State University has pointed out
that the company has significantly overstated the number of
temporary jobs needed to build the pipeline. There will not
be as many jobs as promised and the jobs will be for a shorter
time than promises. In fact, there is no guarantee that the oil or
its refined products will be sold in Iowa or even in the United
States. The economic benefits promised by the company are
overblown and misrepresented.
IOWA
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Permit No. 1611
Des Moines, IA
Crown Point Community Center is located at 6300 Pioneer
Parkway in Johnston. Take the I 80-35 Johnston exit (#131)
and go north for about a mile on Merle Hay Road. Turn left
(W) on Pioneer Parkway (at a stoplight) and go less than a half
mile the Center’s driveway on your left. Call 515.720.0551 if
you need directions.
Trails around adjacent Lake Terra and through the
adjoining Beaver Creek Natural Resource area can be explored
by early-arrivals.
Wisconsin. He previously was a reporter and researcher at the
Center for Media and Democracy.
A graduate of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in
political science and legal studies,
his writing has appeared in Al
Jazeera America, The Guardian,
Vice News, The Nation, Wisconsin
Watch, Truth-Out, Alternet and
elsewhere. Steve’s published
work includes dozens of articles
published on alternative news websites such as CounterPunch.
org. He has covered local and regional Midwestern issues
as well as national and international concerns on energy,
environmental and political issues. Topics he has covered
include “greenwashing” of hydraulic fracturing and the
Keystone XL pipeline by fossil fuel front groups; the Obama
administration’s embrace of fracking; the ties binding major
U.S. oil and gas companies with Russian state oil and gas
companies; the prospect that the Keystone XL could not only
carry tar sands but also oil extracted via hydraulic fracturing
from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale basin; and the people and
money behind an industry-friendly Environmental Defense
Fund methane emissions study in an article titled, “Inside
Frackademia’s Latest Assault on Science.”
Iowa Utilities Board Issues Procedural
Schedule for Bakken Pipeline Application
By Wally Taylor, Iowa Chapter Chair
Landowners will be forced to give up their land by eminent
domain. The vast majority of landowners impacted by this
project do not want the pipeline on their land. Eminent domain
should not be used for the benefit of a private company, with
no benefit to Iowa consumers. The pipeline easement will limit
what those landowners can do on their property.
Construction of the pipeline will significantly impact
farmland from compaction. Longer-term, those owners will face
issues from the heat emanating from the oil flowing through the
pipes. Owners of wooded areas will see their trees permanently
removed.
It is not a question of if, but when, this pipeline will leak and
cause a spill that will inflict serious damage to land and water.
A small pinhole leak can release a large quantity of oil before
it is detected. A spill occurring on farmland will adversely
impact crop production for years. Under present law there is
insufficient surety to compensate for the damage inflicted by
a pipeline spill. Other incidents have cost millions, and even
billions, to clean up. Iowa only requires that the company post
$250,000 to pay for a spill and cleanup. Iowans will be left to
pick up the costs should the company be overwhelmed by the
cleanup costs. Although much has been written in the media
about the dangers of shipping Bakken oil by rail car, pipelines
are equally unsafe.
This pipeline will further enable this country’s addiction
to oil and exacerbate climate change. Climate change is the
defining issue of our time. Fossil fuels must remain in the
ground. Iowa is a leader in renewable energy.
Most Iowans are opposed to this project. At this point, over
2,600 Iowans have submitted written objection letters to the
IUB.
The IUB process is very time-consuming and complex. It
will require funding for expert witnesses and legal expenses. If
you want to be an important part in protecting Iowa from this
disastrous project, please consider donating financially to help
us wage this fight. Please write your tax-deductible check to The
Sierra Club Foundation and write “Iowa Chapter pipeline” on
the memo line. You can mail your check to the Iowa Chapter
office at 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280, Des Moines, Iowa,
50310.
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Iowa Sierran
Autumn 2015
EPA Issues New Rule to Protect Waters of the United States
By Neila Seaman, Chapter Director and Wally Taylor, Iowa Chapter Chair
“Water is the lifeblood of healthy people and healthy
economies,” wrote Gina McCarthy, Director of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on April 6, 2015.
On May 27, EPA issued a rule defining “Waters of the
United States.”
Nearly a year ago, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (Corps) released a draft Clean Water Rule to
better define elements of the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act states that its goal is to “restore and
maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of
the Nation’s waters.” The stated goal, therefore, authorizes
the Environmental Protection Agency to protect “the
Nation’s waters.”
Two U.S. Supreme Court decisions created uncertainty
in defining waters of the U.S. under the jurisdiction of
the EPA and the Corps, leaving the two agencies with
overlapping authority.
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County
(SWANCC) sued the Corps for denying a permit to the
Chicago-area consortium of cities and villages that sought
to develop a landfill for nonhazardous waste at a retired sand
and gravel mining site. The parcel had since its retirement
evolved into ponds used by migratory birds and the Corps
denied the permit citing “isolated waters” as regulated
wetlands under the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court
decision upheld SWANCC on the basis that the Corps’
jurisdiction did not extend to ponds that are not adjacent
to open water.
In 2006, the Supreme Court heard and issued a decision
in Rapanos v. United States. The case challenged federal
jurisdiction in regulating isolated wetlands under the Clean
Water Act. Rapanos was a developer who wanted to fill
with sand and without a permit a wetland he owned to
prepare for a mall being constructed. EPA stopped the
project. Rapanos claimed his land was up to 20 miles away
from any navigable waters of the U.S. and, therefore, EPA
had no jurisdiction. Rapanos lost a civil case against him
resulting in millions of dollars in fines and he appealed to
the Supreme Court.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote
in his Rapanos opinion that the Clean Water Act confers
federal jurisdiction on traditional navigable waters and
all other waters having a “significant nexus” to navigable
waters. There was no majority opinion in Rapanos so
Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion set the precedent. It is critical to understand that the rule’s definition of
waters of the U.S. is based on a 331-page scientific report
prepared by a group of eminent scientists. The science is
irrefutable. The term “connectivity” in the scientific report
clearly comports with Justice Kennedy’s “significant nexus”
requirement in Rapanos. Connectivity means that pollutants
in the small streams and wetlands find their way to major
water bodies.
These two decisions left confusion over what is covered
as “navigable” and as “other waters” under the Clean Water
Act. The rule does not change the scope of the Clean Water
Act. It simply clarifies the definition of “waters of the United
States.”
The scientists explained that navigable waters can
be chemically, physically and biologically connected to
wetlands, headwaters and intermittent and ephemeral
streams.
Drs. William G. Crumpton and Arnold van der Valk
are two Iowa State University professors who served on
the external peer review panel. Two University of Iowa
professors served on the panel to review the Water Body
Connectivity Report. They are Dr. William Field from
the Occupational and Environmental Health and the
Department of Epidemiology, and Peter Thorne, director
of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center and
Professor and Head of the Department of Occupational and
Environmental Health.
Pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 303(d)-required
testing, Iowa is approaching 572 impaired water segments
with 751 pollution impairments. These waters are the focal
point of watersheds fed by smaller tributaries and ephemeral
and intermittent streams. The number of impaired waters
increases with each new list. One in three Americans relies
on surface drinking water supplies that currently are not
clearly protected.
The definition and analysis with respect to “other
waters” in the rule is also consistent with Justice Kennedy’s
opinion in Rapanos. The determination of adjacent wetlands
in the proposed rule was completely compliant with the law.
The preamble to the rule cites language from Section 404 of
the Clean Water Act that includes a definition of navigable
waters as including “wetlands adjacent thereto.” The rule establishes that the determination of whether
a particular stream or wetland satisfies the connectivity
criterion will be made on a case-by-case basis. That process
assures that an isolated pond, ditch or similar unconnected
waterbody will not be unfairly regulated.
According to the Natural Resource Conservation
Service, 90 percent of Iowa’s wetlands have been drained
for agriculture and development. Fens, emergent wetlands,
forested wetlands and wet meadows protect the public
drinking water supplies that are fed by headwater or
seasonally flowing streams. Plants and animals live in wetlands amid standing water
or saturated soils, housing the majority of Iowa’s endangered
species. Nationally, more than 10,000 invertebrate species,
about 190 species of amphibians, 5,000 plant species and
a third of all native birds species make their homes in
wetlands. In the past 30 years, direct costs of freshwater flooding
has averaged $7.8 billion annually in damage to property
and crops. One acre of wetland can store one to one-and-ahalf million gallons of floodwater. Wetlands are particularly
valuable for storing urban runoff and snowmelt, and for
flood and erosion protection. They also help prevent water
logging of crops in rural areas.
Wetlands also help recharge groundwater, reduce
pollution by filtering nutrients and sediments and providing
irrigation water for agriculture. They provide economic
benefits, too, including fishing, hunting, birding and
photography.
Much misinformation has been disseminated about the
rule. The Des Moines Register reported that Gov. Terry
Branstad believes the rule would make it more difficult
for farmers to implement conservation practices that
improve water quality. However, the rule will preserve
existing exemptions for farming, mining and other land use
activities.
Many farmers are skeptical. Some fear that the new rule
will protect ditches and that they will be required to get a
permit for many of their agricultural practices. There are
currently more than 50 ag practices that do not require a
permit and those exemptions will remain in place with the
new rule.
EPA held more than 400 public input meetings and
received more than one million comments. Some changes
were considered as a result of this feedback. According to
Director McCarthy, key points include:
• The EPA’s rule is a critical step toward protecting
streams and wetlands that feed our drinking water supplies,
filter pollutants, provide wildlife habitat, offer recreation
opportunities and safeguard communities from flooding. We all should support it for ourselves, our children and our
grandchildren.
• Better definition of how protected waters are
significant;
• Tributaries more clearly defined;
• More certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby
waters;
• More specificity in the protection of the nation’s
regional water treasures;
• A focus on tributaries, not “upland” ditches;
• Preservation of agricultural exclusions and exemptions;
• Maintenance of the status of waters within Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer Systems.
The EPA’s rule is a critical step toward protecting
streams and wetlands that feed our drinking water supplies,
filter pollutants, provide wildlife habitat, offer recreation
opportunities and safeguard communities from flooding. We all should support it for ourselves, our children and our
grandchildren.
Some highlights from the final rule are that certain
waters will always be within EPA’s jurisdiction: all
tributaries of traditional navigable waters and all waters
adjacent to traditional navigable waters.
The most contentious aspect of the rule is the designation
of “other waters.” These waters include “mudflats, sandflats,
wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, and wet meadows.”
These “other waters” will not automatically be regulated,
but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Among the
“other waters,” EPA has classified five types of wetlands
that are described as “regional water treasures.” The type
that is relevant to Iowa is prairie potholes.
Throughout the rulemaking proceedings leading
to adoption of the Clean Water Rule, agricultural and
development interests have engaged in fierce opposition
and a serious misinformation campaign. It is certain that
they will continue to use every political and legal means to
do away with the rule. In Iowa, our political “leaders” have
done everything they could to prevent the rule from being
issued, from Governor Branstad and Agriculture Secretary
Northey to our U.S. Senators and Representatives.
The Iowa Chapter will be in the forefront of defending
this rule in Iowa.
IOWA SIERRA CLUB AWARDS
The Iowa Chapter of Sierra Club honors activists
and volunteers for their efforts to protect the
environment. Please consider nominating someone for
an award. Winners will be presented with their award
at the 2015 annual meeting on October 10 in Johnston.
nominations and nominations received after the deadline
may not be considered.
Submit nominations by Email if possible by August 23
to Deborah Neustadt <debbieneustadt@gmail.com> .
Award Categories
Deadline for nominations is August 14, 2015.
The nomination must include:
• Award Category
• Name of nominee
• Address and phone number of nominee
• Statement of why you think the nominee should receive
the award
• Your name, address and phone number.
If it is a group nomination give the name of a contact
person. The Iowa Chapter Executive Committee will review
Distinguished Service - For a Club member who has
shown service to the Club over a number of years. This is
the Iowa Chapter’s highest award.
Activist Award - For a member who has served the Club
in any capacity during the past year in a way that greatly
promoted the goals and purposes of the Iowa Chapter of
Sierra Club.
Business Service Award - For a business or individual in
business who has contributed significantly to environmental
issues directly affecting Iowa.
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Environmental Journalism - For a person working
in the news media who has contributed significantly to
environmental understanding at a community, county, or
state level.
Steward of the Land Award - For a farmer or other
individual whose agricultural practices promote soil
conservation and/or other environmentally positive results.
Public Service Award - For a legislative or governmental
employee or appointee who has contributed significantly to
environmental issues directly affecting Iowa.
Environmental Educator Award - For an educator at
any level of education who has contributed significantly to
an increased understanding of the environment.
Grassroots Award - For any individual whose
contributions have resulted in significant change regarding
the environment in a local community.
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Iowa Sierran
Autumn 2015
3
With Wind, Solar Energy on the Rise Nationwide, Coal Can’t Compete
Iowa Home to 200th Coal Plant Phase Out
Alliant Energy, a major Iowa utility, has committed to
phase out coal use at six of its plants in the state, marking
the 200th coal plant to shut down in the United States. This
marks a milestone in the country’s transition to clean energy
and underscores Iowa’s growth as a clean energy state. The
announced coal plant retirements are the result of the Sierra
Club’s Beyond Coal campaign advocacy, which has been a
driving force in the national transition to renewable sources
of power.
In 2011 the Sierra Club filed a notice accusing Alliant
of violating the Clean Air Act. Later the United States
Environmental Protection Agency took over the case. Now
four years later, Alliant has agreed to pay a civil penalty of
$1.1 million dollars, to shutter or repower several coal-fired
power plants. Additionally Alliant has agreed to invest $6
million dollars on environmental mitigation projects such
as installing additional solar energy capacity, replacing
its fleet of utility trucks with hybrid trucks, and replacing
wood furnaces and fireplaces with more efficient models.
The settlement will become effective after a 30-day
comment period.
The retirement of 200 coal plants nationwide represents
the phase out of nearly 40 percent of the 523 U.S. coal
plants that were in operation just five years ago. The work
of Sierra Club and more than 100 allied organizations to
retire these plants and replace them with clean energy has
enabled the United States to lead the industrialized world
in cutting global warming pollution and has put the White
House on firm footing to push for a strong international
climate accord in Paris at the end of this year.
“The days of coal-fired power plants putting Americans
at risk are coming to an end,” said Michael Brune, Executive
Director of the Sierra Club. “In Iowa and across the country,
people are demanding clean air and clean water—and they
are winning. Iowa is a leader in America’s transition from
coal to renewable energy and is providing a model for other
communities as they demand and realize a 100 percent clean
energy future.”
July’s landmark settlement requires Alliant to phase
out coal use or install pollution controls at all eight of its
coal-fired power plants to comply with the Clean Air Act.
The plants were emitting more pollution than was allowed
by the company’s air permits, contributing to an estimated
32 deaths and 541 asthma attacks annually and costing
local residents $15.3 million in healthcare bills each year
according to plant-level 2010 estimates by Clean Air Task
Force.
Today’s announced retirements highlight the relentless
progress of Sierra Club and its allies to phase out coal plants
at a rate that has averaged one coal plant every ten days
since 2010; over the same period, the U.S. has installed
unprecedented wind and solar power generation capacity.
As we make this transition to clean energy, it is essential
to protect the livelihoods of workers and communities
traditionally reliant on coal. The Sierra Club is working to
advance these efforts through our Beyond Coal campaign,
our Labor Program and our federal policy advocacy.
In 2009, the pollution from the 200 coal plants now
slated for retirement caused 6,000 heart attacks, 60,000
asthma attacks and 3,600 deaths each year. The plants
emitted more than 188 million metric tons of carbon
pollution, equivalent to the annual emissions of more than
39 million passenger vehicles. The coal plants also emitted
more than 7,600 pounds of mercury each year. Mercury,
a potent neurotoxin, contributes to thousands of birth
defects and neurological disorders, putting communities
surrounding coal plants at higher risk.
Wallace Taylor, legal chair for the Iowa Chapter, said
“The settlement is a big deal. It means we’re on the way
to making a big dent in reducing greenhouses gases, which
is important because that’s what causes climate change.” Further the agreement will reduce emissions of
particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, all of
which exacerbate respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular
problems. “You haven’t seen fear until you’ve seen a
patient fighting to breathe, and their loved ones powerless to
help.” Said Patricia Fuller, a retired nurse and lead volunteer
with the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign from Council
Bluffs, Iowa.
Highlights of the agreement are
• Alliant will be required to retire or convert five coalfired plants to cleaner-burning natural gas - Cedar Rapids,
Burlington, Dubuque, Clinton and Marshalltown.
• Several boilers have already transitioned to natural gas
and will not be allowed to return to coal. Those boilers are
in Clinton, Dubuque and Marshalltown.
• Several coal-fired boilers had already been retired at
the time of the settlement, including one power plant in
Cedar Rapids and three boilers in Lansing.
• Alliant will continuously operate baghouse and
scrubber systems that have been installed at its Ottumwa
and Lansing coal-fired power plants.
• Additional emission-control equipment will be
installed in the Ottumwa plant by 2019, to reduce nitrogen
oxide emissions.
As coal plants are retiring at record rates, states are
also making major investments in wind and solar power,
fueling the transition to a clean energy economy. Iowa,
for example, already generates more than a quarter of the
energy powering homes and businesses from wind farms,
ranking first in the nation in power generated by wind.
Nearly 7,000 Iowans are now employed in the fast-growing
wind energy sector, more than any other state, and Iowa has
the potential to generate 100 times its current wind energy
output. Iowa provides a model for neighboring states to
phase out coal and capitalize on clean energy, which can
also be a cost-efficient and commonsense way to meet
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s forthcoming
Clean Power Plan requirements
2015 Legislative Wrap Up
By Neila Seaman, Chapter Director
Sine Die1. Those were welcome words to hear on June
5 when the 2015 Legislative Session came to a close.
The session extended six weeks longer than scheduled,
but the environment wasn’t on the minds of very many
legislators. Gridlock over budget issues, particularly school
funding, contributed to the extra-long session. Other issues
requiring legislators’ attention included the Governor’s
announcement that two mental health institutes would be
closing, legalizing fireworks and the avian bird flu epidemic.
IOWA SIERRAN
Editor: Jane R. Clark
The Iowa Sierran is dedicated to informing members
and other friends about environmental issues that
affect Iowa. It is a forum for the expression of ideas on
topics of environmental concern, as well as the voice
of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club. Articles with
a by-line represent the research and opinions of the
authors and not necessarily that of the Sierra Club.
We invite submissions of letters, articles,
photographs and illustrations. Letters and articles
must be complete, accurate and identified with your
name, address and phone number(s).
Please submit by email to jrclark@radiks.net. The
editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, space and
libel reasons.
The deadline is November 5 for the Winter issue.
A subscription to the Iowa Sierran is included in the
cost of Sierra Club membership. For non-members, a
subscription is $5 per year.
There was some good news for Resource Enhancement
and Protection (REAP). Rumors flew that REAP could
be reduced to as low as $12.5 million. However, the final
appropriation agreed upon by both chambers was $16
million. A handful of environmentally related bills did land in
the Standings bill. Standings has evolved over the years
from an Appropriations bill to a catch-all for bills that never
made it through the funnels. The final bill (all 73 pages of it) included modified
language regarding animal truck wash effluent; renewable
fuels infrastructure for storing and dispensing ethanol
gasoline; language related to the return of property
condemned to construct a lake as a surface drinking water
source should the lake never be constructed; and specified
types of facilities for nameplate generating capacity equal
to or more than 300 megawatts to qualify for ratemaking
principles. There were many, many other provisions
included in the bill that are unrelated to environmental
protection.
Rep. Jarad Klein (R-Washington) introduced a bill that
would have allowed an industrial livestock production
owner or manager “alleges” that a DNR official, agent,
inspector or county employee fails to comply with
biosecurity requirements, that person must leave the
premises at the owner’s or operator’s request. Thanks to
our members and supporters’ overwhelming response to our
action alert, we were able to bring the bill to a halt before
it made it out of Senate committee. However, another bill
introduced by Klein allows a property owner or designee
to be present and to observe DNR during an investigation
into any actual or possible violation or the watershed of the
property. The bill did pass the House and the Senate Natural
Resources & Environment Committee. On the very last day,
the bill was reassigned back to the Senate Committee. We
can expect to see it again in 2016.
There were disappointments.
Legislators overwhelmingly supported adding yard
waste for collection and disposal by a sanitary landfill
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that operates a methane collection system that produces
energy. The Chapter opposed dispensing of yard waste in
landfills because it increases the production of methane, a
pollutant more potent than carbon dioxide.
Two bills that would increase the sales tax to fund the
Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund were
introduced. Senators Dick Dearden (D-Polk) and David
Johnson (R-Osceola) introduced their bill in March, but it
never got through the subcommittee (which included both
sponsors) before the second funnel.
Another bill introduced by the Senate Ways & Means
did pass the Committee, but it never really got any traction
afterward. It can still be considered in the next session. If
you haven’t contacted your legislators to let them know you
support funding the Trust, you can still make your opinion
known by responding to the Chapter’s action alert found
on the Chapter website at http://www.sierraclub.org/iowa.
And two bills that would prove challenging for the
Bakken pipeline and the Clean Line transmission projects
to take land through eminent domain didn’t get the support
of legislators that the Chapter had wanted to achieve. Sent.
Rob Hogg (D-Linn) introduced the Senate version while
Rep. Bobby Kaufmann (R-) introduced a bill in the House.
Both bills passed their respective subcommittees while the
Senate’s bill also passed the Senate Government Oversight
Committee. Thank you to the 251 members and supporters
who sent messages of support to 135 legislators. You can
still express your views about the eminent domain bills by
clicking the action alert found at http://www.sierraclub.org/
iowa.
Read more about the 2015 Legislature on the Chapter’s
Legislative webpage at http://www.sierraclub.org/
iowa/2015Legislature.
(Endnotes)
1 Definition of SINE DIE: without any future date being
designated (as for resumption) : indefinitely <the meeting
adjourned sine die> adverb, Pronounced si·ne die \si-nidi(-e), si-na-de-a\ From Merriam-Webster.com.
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Iowa Sierran
Autumn 2015
4
Iowa City Area Group – Upcoming Events
Looking for Participants
Wednesday, August 19: 5:45 PM – dusk. Potluck at Hickory Hill Shelter North (Conklin
Street Access – turn off is close to the North Dodge HyVee). Please bring a dish to share
and your own table service. Possible hike afterwards depending on weather. For more
information contact Louise Murray at 319-351-1655 or louise-murray@uiowa.edu.
Sunday, September 27: 1:00 PM Hike at the McBride Recreation Area. Contact Barbara
Beaumont at bgbeaumont@juno.com or 319-626-6227.
Saturday, October 10 (rain date Saturday, October 17): Leave from Iowa City at 8:30
AM. Fall colors canoe trip on the Maquoketa River. We will put in at Monticello and have a
choice of a 3 - hour trip to Pictured Rocks or a 5 ½ - hour trip to Eby’s Mill. Canoes can be
rented at Monticello Canoe Rental and the shuttle is included in the cost. You must sign up
in advance and reserve your own canoe. For more information, contact Barbara Beaumont
at bgbeaumont@juno.com or 319-626-6227.
Monday, October 12: 7:00 PM at the Iowa City Public Library, Room A. The Sierra
Club Forum on Climate Change.– Sierra Club will show slides from Al Gore’s Climate
Reality Project and local speakers will discuss actions Iowans can take to lead to a successful
Paris Conference in December 2015 and to influence Presidential candidates. For more
information contact Tom Carsner 319-338-9335 carsner@mchsi.com.
Wednesday, October 21: 7:00 PM Java House downtown Iowa City. Planning meeting for fall
activities. Please come to help us plan outings, speakers, and other events for winter of 2015/2016.
OTHER EVENTS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE WEBSITE DURING THIS Fall/
Winter: http://www.sierraclub.org/iowa/iowa-city
Thank you for being a Sierra Club member. You have chosen to join in the constant
work of protecting the natural land and life that lives on it. We would like you to consider
energizing your local “Iowa City Area Group” by participating in it. It’s a great way to
meet fellow members, promote a specific area of concern, and offer your skills. We need
volunteers to organize outings, manage the group website, write articles, ask questions of
political candidates, etc. Please contact Jim Trepka at jim_trepka@msn.com 319-338-0005
or Louise Murray at 319-351-1655 or louise-murray@uiowa.edu. Thank you! You may
use the email addresses and phone numbers listed below for more information.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO
STATEWIDE SIERRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
We need you to serve! The Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter is calling on dedicated members to
accept nomination for election to our Executive Committee (ExCom). The ExCom is made
up of eleven members and is elected by the chapter membership in December (in addition to
these eleven, local Sierra Groups are represented on the ExCom) by their delegate). Members
elected begin their term at the first meeting in January and serve three-year staggered terms.
Candidates should understand and be willing to promote the mission of the Sierra Club, be
dedicated to protecting Iowa’s natural resources, be able to attend most of the meetings, and
be able to support the Iowa Chapter with an annual gift in addition to assisting with other
fundraising efforts.
The ExCom meets 3-4 times a year in person and by conference call in other months.
Offices of chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer, and committee chairs are selected from
the ExCom. Committee work such as political activity, legislative, fundraising, conservation
and personnel help to carry out the functions of the ExCom and the chapter. Responsibilities
include monitoring the general health of the Chapter, strategic planning and decision-making,
and financial oversight. If you are interested in helping make decisions about the priorities,
activities and political endorsements of the Sierra Club in Iowa, or know of someone who
is, please nominate yourself or another person. Candidate statements will be published in
the December newsletter on the ballot and should consist of a statement of 200-250 words
or less. Please send nominations to iowa.chapter@sierraclub.org .
Sierra Club
Iowa Chapter Office
3839 Merle Hay Road
Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
iowa.chapter@sierraclub.org
Chapter Director
Neila Seaman
515-277-8868
neila.seaman@sierraclub.org
IOWA CHAPTER
OFFICERS AND
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chair
Wally Taylor (12/16)
319-377-2842 (H)
319-366-2428 (W)
Vice Chair
Patrick Bosold (12/16)
641-472-1691
Treasurer
Donna Buell
712-336-2103
Secretary
Margaret Whiting
319-291-6994
Legal Chair
Wally Taylor (12/16)
319-377-2842 (H)
319-366-2428 (W)
Fundraising Chair
Pam Mackey-Taylor (12/17)
319-377-2842
Conservation Chair
Pam Mackey-Taylor (12/17)
319-377-2842
Political Chair
Charles Winterwood (12/16)
563-588-2783
Legislative Chair
Debbie Neustadt (12/17)
515-263-0297
Robert Nehman (12/17)
608-385-3111
GROUP DELEGATES TO
IOWA CHAPTER EXCOM
Cedar Prairie
Margaret Whiting
319-291-6994
Cedar-Wapsie
Pam Mackey-Taylor
319-377-2842
Central Iowa
Carolyn Uhlenhake Walker
515-779-1680
Susan West (12/17)
319-827-3013
Virginia Soelberg (12/15)
515-253-0232 (
Leopold
Alitza Blough
847-275-9801
Lori Reilly (12/15)
515-457-8730
Renata Sack (12/15)
319-235-7395
Gerald Neff
563-332-5373
Jim Redmond
712-389-0841
Newsletter Editor
Jane R. Clark
515-223-5047
Group Chair: Jim Trepka 319-338-0005 jim_trepka@msn.com. Please contact the
group chair if you are interested in helping with any activities listed below.
Secretary: Anne Marie Kraus 319-337-8260 annemariekraus@gmail.com. Records
executive committee minutes.
Treasurer: Louise Murray 319-351-1655 louise-murray@uiowa.edu. Maintains finances
for group.
Conservation: Open: Identify worthwhile areas needing protection. Organizes donations
or services.
Fundraising & Calendar Sales Chair: Ed Heffron 319-351-1655 eheffron@mchsi.
com. Fundraising for the Iowa City Area Group.
Iowa Chapter Delegate: Mike Carberry 319-594-6453 mikecarberry@GMAIL.COM
Membership: Barbara Beaumont 319-626-6227 bgbeaumont@juno.com. Invite members
to actively participate.
Newsletter: Marybeth Slonneger 319-354-8700 mbslonn@mchsi.com. Prepares our
newsletter for quarterly publication.
Outings: Open: Promote outdoor activities. Please contact group chair if you are interested
in leading any outings
Political: Tom Carsner 319-338-9335 carsner@mchsi.com. Promotes the election of proenvironment candidates and raise awareness about environmental issues among the public
and decision-makers.
Program Chair: Robin Enfield 319-321-1355 robin-enfield@uiowa.edu. Organizes programs.
Publicity: Open: Contact local media to update them about club activities. Please contact
group chair if you are interested.
Webmaster: Open. Update our website.
We hope you enjoy our meetings, outings, and newsletters. But these do not occur by
themselves. It takes the participation of our membership. I invite you to consider joining a
committee, if you have not already done so. It only takes a few days per year.
Create An Environmental Legacy
Bequests have played a key role in the Sierra Club's environmental successes over the
years. Planning now may make your gift more meaningful and reduce taxes on your estate.
We have many gift options available. We can even help you plan a gift for your local Chapter.
For more information and confidential assistance contact:
Sierra Club Gift Planning Program
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone 800-932-4270 • Email: gift.planning@sierraclub.org • www.sieraclub.org/gift/planning
IOWA CHAPTER DIRECTORY
Eagle View
Gerald Neff
563-332-5373
Carolyn Walker (12/15)
515-779-1680
Committees of Iowa City Area Group
Northwest Iowa
Jim Redmond
712-389-0841
White Pine
Charlie Winterwood
563-588-2783
GROUP CHAIRS
Cedar Prairie
Renata Sack
319-235-7395
Cedar Wapsie
Connie Lehman
319-533-5946
Central Iowa
Karen Tigges
515-274-0545
Eagle View
Kristen Bergren
309-797-4416
Iowa City Area
Jim Trepka
319-338-0005
Leopold
Patrick Bosold
641-472-1691
Northwest Iowa
Jane Hey
712-277-4251
Prairie Lakes
Diane Rohan
712-265-9195
White Pine
Charlie Winterwood
563-588-2783
CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION
U.S. SENATE:
Charles E. Grassley (R)
135 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Telephone: 202-224-3744
Fax: 202-224-6020
http://www.grassley.senate.
gov/constituents/questionsand-comments
Joni Ernst (R)
825 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Telephone: 202-224-3254
Fax: (202) 224-9369
http://www.ernst.senate.
gov/content/contact-joni
David Young (R) - District 3
515 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5476
https://davidyoung.house.
gov/contact
Steve King (R) - District 4
2210 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4426
http://steveking.house.gov/
contact
PRESIDENT
Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111
GOVERNOR
Terry Branstad
State Capitol
1015 E. Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50319-0002
515-281-5211
U.S. HOUSE:
Rod Blum (R) - District 1
213 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Telephone: 202-225-2911
https://blum.house.gov/
contact/email
IOWA LEGISLATURE
David Loebsack (D) - District 2
1527 Longworth House
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-6576
Fax: 202-226-0757
https://loebsack.house.gov/
forms/writeyourrep/
NATIONAL WEBSITE:
www.sierraclub.org
For our Families . . . For our Future.
PROTECT AMERICA’S ENVIRONMENT
To get Iowa legislators’
names, addresses, and phone
numbers at any time of the
year, call 515-281-5129.
IOWA CHAPTER WEBSITE:
www.iowa.sierraclub.org
CHAPTER WEBMASTER:
neila.seaman@sierraclub.org