Sierra Club Responds to State Report Showing 16% Increase in Climate Pollution from Iowa Power Plants in 2018

DES MOINES, IA -- Sierra Club is raising the alarm on electric utilities that continue to rely on fossil fuels following the release of the 2018 greenhouse gas emissions report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The Report found that Iowa’s statewide greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2018. The Report makes clear that the source of the emissions increase is a continued reliance on fossil fuels for power generation. According to the Report, greenhouse gas emissions from Iowa’s power plants rose an astonishing 16% between 2017 and 2018, accounting for the vast majority of the state’s emissions increase. This increase is attributed to a 12.6% increase in power generated from coal and a 60.7% increase in power from burning gas. 

In response, the Sierra Club has published a blog detailing concerns raised by the report and demanding state and utility leaders take urgent action to address the climate crisis. (LINKED)

“While Iowans have long prided themselves on being a national leader in clean energy, the dirty truth is we have fallen behind. Iowans deserve better,” said Katie Rock, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Iowa. “Most Iowans recognize climate change as one of the most pressing crises facing our state. Reversing the direction we’re headed requires swift and bold action from those in power: our governor, our legislature, the Iowa Utilities Board, and the powerful utilities themselves who are providing our electricity. To get back on track, we need a plan to phase out Iowa’s polluting coal plants and transition to a truly clean energy economy.”

Though power from gas saw the largest growth year over year, Iowa’s coal-generated power saw the largest growth by volume with an increase of 4.25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions or roughly equivalent to adding over 920,000 cars to our roads. MidAmerican, the single largest carbon polluter in Iowa, operates five large coal plants with no publicly announced plans to retire them. 

Iowa’s overall greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 10% since 2016, when Iowa’s leadership largely scrapped efforts to comply with the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. Iowa’s 2018 reported emissions are on par with its emissions from 2010, meaning that despite a decade of growth in wind energy, Iowa has not seen any decline in greenhouse gas emissions. The finding shows a stark contrast when compared to neighboring Minnesota, which has seen a 29% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from its electric sector since 2005.