Blog for Iowa’s Lead Balloon Award Goes to . . . MidAmerican!
by Linda Thieman
Yes, friends and neighbors, Blog for Iowa’s First Ever Lead Balloon Award goes to (drum roll, please) . . . MidAmerican Energy Company, the Number One Industrial Polluter in the State of Iowa!
If it were a contest to see which industrial facility could pollute Iowa the most, MidAmerican Energy Co., with pollution production plants in five Iowa towns – Sergeant Bluff, Council Bluffs, Muscatine, Salix and Bettendorf – would be the grand champion.
In fact, in 2002, according to the pollution information website Scorecard set up by Environmental Defense, MidAmerican dumped 6,573,317 pounds of toxins into Iowa air, water and onto the land [from public toxicant reports provided by MidAmerican].
The MidAmerican plants in Sergeant Bluff, Council Bluffs, Muscatine and Salix each, individually, rank in the top ten percent of dirtiest/worst pollution-generating facilities in the ENTIRE United States.
Into the Iowa Air
Into the Iowa air alone, MidAmerican, in the year 2002, spewed 19,272 pounds of known or suspected carcinogens, and over a million pounds each of recognized or suspected developmental and reproductive toxicants.
Two of these toxic chemicals are arsenic and mercury, both of which are “ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health.”
MidAmerican did not respond to two inquiries from Blog for Iowa when asked to comment for this article. But, hey, did you know that MidAmerican has an explicit Environmental Respect policy spelled out on their website? I kid you not.
MidAmerican’s Environmental RESPECT Policy
“MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company believes responsible environmental management is good business. It benefits our customers and improves the quality of the environment in which we live. This policy establishes the environmental RESPECT principles that guide our corporate commitment to the environment.”
If dumping six and a half million pounds of toxic waste in Iowa per year is a sign of respect, I’d hate to think what would happen if they didn’t care.
If MidAmerican ever responds to this issue, I will post their blah, blah, blah PR babble for you to read. That is, if they don’t cut off my electricity in retaliation for mentioning the truth about their pollution-generating company based on reports from their own records.
As Molly likes to say, when it comes to the environment, it’s time to administer CPR: CONSERVE – PARTICIPATE – RECYCLE.
Blog For Iowa 
Awesome job putting this together Linda. Don't worry, if they turn your lights off, we'll all raise hell on your behalf, isn't that right IOWA? I can't wait to read their response to your inquiry… if they ever do respond. Keep up the great work!
Caroline
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Here in Sioux City there are MANY folks who work for Mid American, and many many more who own Mid American stock. It's time for all of us to demand that Mid American behave like a good citizen and not dump their garbage on us all. Yes, we all love our air-conditioning on these extreme days, and we love our computers and electronics — but there is NO excuse for Mid America's lack of responsibility to all of their customers, their neighbors, and to the world.
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