Iowa House of Representatives

Iowa lawmakers call for environmental review of Bakken oil pipeline project

Nick Fetty Energy, News, Politics , , , , ,

Pump jacks on the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota (A.G. McCullian/Fickr).
Pump jacks on the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota (A.G. McCullian/Fickr)

Nick Fetty | March 12, 2015

Fifteen members of Iowa’s House of Representatives are asking the Iowa Utilities Board to conduct an independent environmental review of the proposed Bakken oil pipeline project which if approved would run approximately 1,100 miles through 17 Iowa counties.

The lawmakers requested the review among concerns about pipeline accidents that have occurred in several states including Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, and Texas. The letter outlined “eight concerns raised by citizens they feel should be investigated.”

1. Safety risks and hazards associated with the product(s) to be transported through the pipeline;

2. Potential damage to water, land, soil, water, air and wildlife/wildlife habitat during construction;

3. Threats to the environment, farmland, wildlife and public health as a result of spills or explosions;

4. Spill prevention and clean up provisions;

5. Liability for damages to both public and private property and sufficiency of resources to cover such liability;

6. Adequacy of inspection/monitoring/enforcement mechanisms and resources;

7. Responsibility for planning, training, and equipping for emergency response;

8. Indirect impacts of the oil extraction process facilitated by the pipeline that may affect public health and safety as well as environmental security.

Representatives who signed the letter include: Marti Anderson (D-Des Moines), Liz Bennett (D-Cedar Rapids), Ruth Ann Gaines (D-Des Moines), Mary Gaskill (D-Ottumwa), Curt Hanson (D-Fairfield), Greg Heartsill (R-Melcher-Dalls), Charles Isenhart (D-Dubuque), Bobby Kaufmann (R-Wilton), Jerry Kearns (D-Keokuk), Dan Kelley (D-Newton), Bob Kressig (D-Cedar Falls), Vicki Lensing (D-Iowa City), Zach Nunn (R-Altoona), Sharon Steckman (D-Mason City), and Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D-Ames).

A recent Des Moines Register poll found that 57 percent of Iowans surveyed were in favor of the Bakken pipeline project.

Proposed bill would tighten Iowa manure application laws

Nick Fetty Farming, Health, Water quality , , , , , ,

With over 60 million chickens, 20 million pigs, 9 million turkeys, and 4 million cows, Iowa farms and livestock operations produce large quantities of manure. (U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr)
With over 60 million chickens, 20 million pigs, 9 million turkeys, and 4 million cows, Iowa farms and livestock operations produce large quantities of manure each year. (U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr)

 

Nick Fetty | March 3, 2015

An Iowa Senate subcommittee has approved a bill it hopes will improve water quality by tightening manure application laws.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) from the Natural Resources and Environment Subcommittee introduced the bill last month. If passed, the bill would bar farmers from applying fertilizer when (1) the ground is frozen or snow-covered; (2) the ground is water-saturated; (3) the 24-hour weather forecast calls for a half-inch of rain or more; or (4) the ground is sloped at 20 percent or greater. The currently law – which was added to the Iowa Code in 2010 – states that farmers cannot apply fertilizer to their soil between December 21 and April 1.

The proposed bill is also supported by the non-profit Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. ICCI organizer Jess Mazour believes the proposed bill will be more effective at cleaning up Iowa’s waterways compared to the current voluntary system.

“It is very much needed because voluntary compliance is not working,” Mazour said in an interview with WNAX. “And if we just leave it up to farmers to pick and choose what they think is safe it’s showing us that our water is just going to keep getting dirtier. We have to be very specific about what we want.”

An identical bill was also introduced to the Iowa House by Rep. Dan Kelly (D-Newton). These proposals come on the heels of a recent measure drafted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which allows the DNR to inspect manure-handling practices by farmers and to issue fines for those not in compliance with current codes.

Approximately 76 manure spills were reported in 2013. In 2014, a dairy farm was fined $160,000 after improper manure disposal killed hundreds of thousands of fish.

Bill aims to give excess solar energy to low income families

Nick Fetty Energy, News, Politics , , , , ,

Rep. Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City) is serving her 11th term in the Iowa House of Representatives. (Iowa House Democrats)
Rep. Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City) is serving her 11th term in the Iowa House of Representatives. (Iowa House Democrats)

Nick Fetty | February 24, 2015

A bill introduced by Iowa State Representative Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City) aims to give excess power generated by solar panels to those struggling to afford electricity.

House File 149 – which was introduced earlier this month – would require utility companies that regularly submit efficiency plans to add to their plans a “solar energy bank program” which would assist low-income families and individuals who fall behind on energy payments. This “solar energy bank” would be the excess energy generated by solar panels. Typically excess energy produced is sold back to the utility company. The bill would serve as an extension of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“Our LIHEAP monies run out every year before the end of the winter season,” Mascher said in an interview with Midwest Energy News. “We have more need than money to go around. This is another way to generate more energy money – in terms of providing a safety net for those folks. For me, it’s a win-win because the energy company doesn’t have to turn off someone’s power. And the people who need it the most are able to continue to get the power they need.”

Mascher is currently serving her 11th term in the Iowa House of Representatives. The Iowa City native also serves on the Education, Local Government, State Government and Appropriations committees.

New UI course combines environment and politics

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Nick Fetty | May 22, 2014
Image
Photo via UI Office of Sustainability

A recently introduced course at the University of Iowa teaches students about the interactions between environmental issues and politics.

The course – Iowa Environmental Policy in Practice – was offered last spring through the Department of Geological and Sustainability Sciences which is in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students in the course spent their spring breaks in Des Moines “meeting with legislation from both the House and Senate, policy makers, and environmental groups.” Just some of the local environmental issues covered in the class included alternative energy methods, energy conservation and efficiency, water quality, and fracking. 

Read the full story in Iowa Now.