Tag Archives: Environment

What If WOTUS Definitions Change?

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Paul Deaton

This is the beginning of the final push toward the general election, with 37 days to go. Democratic victories are in the air, and the scent is intoxicating. But we can’t get drunk on victory until it actually materializes. Keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog for Iowa, Environment | Tagged clean water, Clean Water Act, Environment, EPA, Waters of the US, WOTUS | 1 Comment

Power Plants And The EPA

Posted on September 19, 2026 by Paul Deaton

On Monday, Sept. 14, the Environmental Protection Agency did two things that were expected since President Trump was re-elected. EPA finalized repeal of the Biden-era greenhouse-gas standards for coal-fired power plants and newly built natural-gas power plants. It also proposed … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged Clean Air Act, coal fired power plants, Environment, EPA | Comments Off

Pattison Sand Persists In Wanting Iowa Water

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Paul Deaton

I wrote at length in 2020 about Pattison Sand wanting to mine the Jordan Aquifer and ship the water out west. They persist in needing water, and Iowa DNR sent me this email about their current permit request on Tuesday. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog for Iowa, Environment | Tagged Environment, Iowa DNR, sustainability, water | 1 Comment

Stories About Forests

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Paul Deaton

I was taken aback by the administration’s decision to dismantle the U.S. Forest Service. Jim Pattiz outlined what happened in his substack post, “Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service.” What they are doing is bad. While the … Continue reading →

Posted in Sustainability | Tagged Environment, public commons, sustainability, U.S. Forest Service | 1 Comment

Ramblings Of A Polluted Mind

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Dave Bradley

After watching the video that Trish Nelson posted on here Thursday morning concerning Iowa’s heavily polluted waterways, I also ran into some stories concerning Trump administration’s recent efforts to roll back rules that concern pollution or are adjacent to pollution in … Continue reading →

Posted in #trumpresistance, Iowa Legislature 2025, Iowa Legislaturę 2026, Republican Policy | Tagged air pollution, Environment, Pesticides, pollution, water pollution in Iowa | Comments Off

What’s Eating Iowa?

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Pulitzer Prize winner Art Cullen and award-winning cinematographer Jerry Risius have teamed up again for the new docuseries What’s Eating Iowa to highlight issues and struggles faced by working families in Iowa. Visit Iowans for Stronger Communities Donate to fund … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged #bigag, agriculture, Environment, Iowa water quality | Comments Off

Electricity Today

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Paul Deaton

There is a lot of chatter in the national news media about the price of electricity. We are apparently in a war with China over dominance in artificial intelligence, which requires a lot of electricity. National Public Radio reported, “Electricity … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged Environment, politics, renewable energy, Solar Energy, wind energy | 1 Comment

Republicans And The Damage Done

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Paul Deaton

When I visited the Iowa legislature, one of the people I sought was Rep. Chuck Isenhart from Dubuque. Almost every bill regarding conservation, climate change, renewable energy, and water quality involved him in some way. We were sad to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged Environment, Solar Energy, sustainability, tax credits, wind energy | 1 Comment

Clean Energy Future

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Paul Deaton

If a person doesn’t believe an industry can capture the U.S. government, they haven’t been paying attention. The proposed rescission of congressionally approved funding for clean energy projects, combined with the omnibus reconciliation bill endeavor to strip away any government … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog for Iowa, Energy | Tagged climate change, Environment, Solar Energy, The Climate Reality Project, wind energy | Comments Off

How Volunteers Are Defending Iowa Lakes

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Iowa Driftless Water Defenders asked for volunteers to visit one of Iowa’s endangered lakes over Memorial Day weekend and make a video about their personal relationship to the lake in order to highlight the loss of Iowa’s public waters to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged #48Lakes, #cleanwater, #environment, Environment, Iowa Driftless Water Defenders, Iowa water quality | Comments Off