Since 1995, the Des Moines-based Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) has grown from a water quality and land stewardship coalition into the state’s largest environmental advocate, fighting injustices across urban and rural communities. Their work addresses urgent crises like in Ottumwa, where agricultural runoff contaminates the Des Moines River with nitrogen from fertilizers and manure, leaving this low-income, diverse community – already burdened by poor air quality – unable to afford proper water treatment. The challenges extend to Des Moines neighborhoods ranking in the state’s top percentiles for heat and flood vulnerability, and to rural areas in Crawford, Appanoose, and Kossuth counties facing high energy costs, poor air quality, and agricultural losses. Through advocacy and coalition-building, IEC tackles these environmental hazards while addressing climate change’s root causes. As Executive Director Sarah Green emphasizes: “Iowa’s climate reckoning is here… it’s getting hotter, and we are causing it with the cars we drive, the electricity we produce, and the land we farm.”
Each year, IEC hosts individuals and organizations from across the state at the Iowa State Capitol for Environmental Advocacy Day. Source: IEC website
The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is a nonpartisan coalition of over 100 groups, including agricultural, conservation, public health, educational, business organizations, and municipal utilities, working on policy issues at the federal, state, and local levels. As watchdogs for Iowa’s vulnerable water systems, IEC is advocating for emergency action from the EPA to address high nitrate levels in Northeast Iowa’s drinking water, after the Environmental Protection Commission rejected stricter regulations on animal feeding operations. With a staff of 15 and a 15-member board, IEC leads the 100% Iowa initiative to transition the state to 100% clean energy by 2035 through wind and solar expansion. The Council works to remove barriers to clean energy access and promote renewable investments for all Iowans. Through its Flip the Switch initiative, IEC drives utility transparency and defeated a bill threatening net metering. In a state ranked second for new cancer cases, IEC is fighting the Cancer Gag Act (SF 2412), which would protect pesticide companies like Bayer from lawsuits by Iowans harmed by cancer-causing chemicals.
Iowa has become a national clean energy leader in recent years, producing more energy with wind – over 59 percent – than any other state.Source: IEC website