At Monday night’s city council meeting, the City of Des Moines officially voted to approve a 13-year utility franchise agreement with MidAmerican Energy, which will take effect in June 2022. This meeting was the final of the three required readings and votes on the franchise agreement, a binding contract that gives the utility access to…
How Cities Can Renegotiate Franchise Agreements for the Clean Energy Transition Guest Blog: Originally posted by RMI on March 16, 2022 By Bryn Grunwald, Matthew Popkin, Laurie Stone You wouldn’t rely on a 30-year-old contract with your phone or internet provider. Times change, and so do the conditions under which a contract was signed.…
IOWA CITY — 100% Iowa City, a community-driven movement to make Iowa City the next 24/7 carbon-free energy city launched this spring to urge the City Council to commit to a path towards 100% clean electricity. After formally declaring a climate crisis in 2019, the City Council announced new emission targets, building on those established in its…
The Des Moines City Council has committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, but this cannot happen without a concerted effort to reduce these emissions altogether. The Iowa DNR found that around 30% of Iowa’s emissions came from fossil fuel use in buildings. This is mirrored in the City of Des Moines’…
I’m beyond thrilled to join the team in the role of Clean Communities Manager. In this position, I will work with community groups, allied organizations, businesses, city officials, and more across the state to achieve equitable, just, and comprehensive clean energy and climate solutions. An example of this that has been in the works for…
As a mission-driven religious organization, Unitarian Universalists have shared values and principles rather than being a doctrinal faith. Our seventh principle is “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” This principle compels us to take responsibility for the planet’s well-being. Inspired by this, we chose to build the…
This guest column was originally published in the Des Moines Register on 1/11/22. January 11, 2022, marks the one-year anniversary of the Des Moines City Council’s unanimous adoption of a resolution setting a goal of 24/7 carbon-free electricity by 2035. This resolution garnered national attention and instantly made the City of Des Moines a national…