The Iowa Environmental Council is excited to launch our newest resource, the Iowa Energy & Infrastructure Funding Hub. This website has been months in the making and will assist businesses, nonprofits, communities, and individual Iowans with finding information about the programs and incentives newly available to gain access to affordable, clean energy, lower energy costs, and…
DES MOINES, IA — The Iowa Environmental Council has launched the Iowa Energy & Infrastructure Funding Hub, an online resource hosted at IAFederalFunding.org to help Iowans better understand and access federal support for clean energy and resiliency projects. Iowa’s communities, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals can utilize programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and…
In February of this year, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report warned that the world is on track to reach the 1.5 Celsius level within the next two decades instead of by the end of the century and that only immediate and drastic cuts to carbon emissions can help prevent environmental catastrophe. Many of us are now…
WINDSOR HEIGHTS — On Monday, October 17, 2022, the Windsor Heights City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution to reach community-wide carbon-free electricity by the year 2030. Windsor Heights joins Des Moines and Waterloo as the third city in Iowa to commit to 24/7 carbon-free electricity — the first city in Iowa to do…
We started the summer with regional grid operator MISO warning of rolling blackouts in early May of 2022. In this paper, we took apart those warnings and explained the real reasons for capacity shortages. In June, Iowa and much of the Upper Midwest experienced heat waves, including multiple days with temperatures in the upper 90s, but avoided outages. Fresh…
Federal funds were authorized to support the continued development of electric vehicle (EV) chargers as part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Iowa is developing plans to create an EV charging network along Interstates 29, 35, 80, and 380. Our state’s federal funding for 2022 is $7.6 million dollars with the overall 5-Year…
IEC joins those in Iowa and around the nation in celebrating this week’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Though the name wouldn’t seem to align with environmental efforts, this historic legislation includes the largest-ever package addressing climate issues through clean energy investment, renewable energy tax credits, and much more. The bill is massive…
WATERLOO — Tonight the Waterloo City Council voted unanimously to adopt a goal of reaching community-wide carbon-free electricity by the year 2035. With the resolution’s passage, Waterloo joins Des Moines as the second city in Iowa to commit to 24/7 carbon-free electricity, and the fourth nationwide. Waterloo resident speaks in favor of the resolution during public…
Iowa is not always an easy place to be working on strengthening environmental laws and protections. Power and politics from both sides of the aisle often align their interests with those with the deepest pockets. Yet it goes further than just influencing policy outcomes—it works to limit the ability of individuals to be informed or…
On May 23, 2022, the Des Moines City Council had its third and final reading of the newly negotiated electric and gas franchise agreements with MidAmerican Energy. The agreements passed each of the three required readings with a 5–1 vote, with one council member recused from the vote. These new franchise agreements, spanning thirteen years,…