April Newsletter

April 19, 2025

The April, 2025, newsletter from the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club is now available.  In this issue, you will find:

Protecting the Environment

  • PATTISON SAND COMPANY IS BACK & WANTS MORE WATER - The request now is to withdraw 3.7 billion gallons of water per year from several sources, including the Jordan Aquifer.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is taking comments from the public about this permit request.

Legislative Update

  • Legislative Update - The legislature is moving toward its scheduled adjournment date of May 2, when the legislators' per diem expense money ends.  That is usually the signal to wrap things up for the year.  We are continuing to watch a number of important pieces of legislation, including the Governor's energy bill and numerous pipeline issues. 

  • REAP - Resource Enhancement and Protection funding - One of the important sources of funds for natural resources, water, and soils is a program called REAP.  Every year the legislature must fund this program.  The program is authorized to be funded at $20 million a year; the legislators must determine how much will actually be allocated to REAP.  We are asking that REAP be funded at $20 million and that the program be extended beyond June 30, 2026.

  • Anaerobic Digester Legislation - There are two bills concerning Anaerobic Digesters that are still alive in the Iowa House.  Anaerobic digesters are a method of creating biogas from manure and other waste.  In Iowa, digesters are being pitched as a method to deal with Iowa’s massive manure problem but really, they are just a band-aid on a bigger problem with our agricultural system.  

  • Update on Supervisor Representation - Governor Reynolds signed a bill - SF75 - that changes how boards of supervisors are elected in Story, Black Hawk, and Johnson Counties.  

CO2 Pipeline Update

  • Summit's Phase 2 Easements Filled with Red Flags - Summit is now approaching and pressuring landowners on its Phase 2 route to sign voluntary easements.  We’ve reviewed the easement terms that Summit is offering and have major concerns. 

Have Fun 

  • Join us for documentary premiere of Iowa's Dirty Secret - April 30th, 7pm, at The Varsity Cinema, 1207 25th St in Des Moines.  There is no entrance charge for this film, plus the first 50 people there get free concessions.  You must RSVP with the theater to reserve your seat.  Iowa's Dirty Secret: The True Cost of Burning Coal is a short film that examines the cost of coal through first-hand accounts shared by families who live near the coal plants, doctors who have seen the health impacts of coal pollution, and the advocates fighting for something better. 

  • Annual Meeting - June 14 - Save the Date.  Join us at the beautiful Briggs Woods Park Barn Shelter in Webster City on Saturday, June 14 for our Annual Meeting! It will be a day to connect with fellow members, reflect on our achievements, and energize for the work ahead.

  • Hitchcock Nature Center Outing - September 20.  Join us on Saturday, September 20 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM for a special outing at Hitchcock Nature Center, one of Iowa’s most scenic and biologically rich areas. Mid-September marks the height of hawk migration, and we’ll be hitting the trails with naturalists and HawkWatch biologists to learn all about these incredible birds.

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