This week in Iowa organizing…

Written By Katie Bryan

More water news over the past week, and... it wasn't good.

First off, as summer draws to a close, it appears Iowans' options for recreation at our beaches and waterways are increasingly limited.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that this administration's Environmental Protection Agency rescinded the addition of 7 (definitely impaired) water segments from Iowa's impaired waters list. As one CCI member commented in our letter to the EPA back in December:

“We cannot continue to play politics when it comes to our impaired waters affecting our health, we have the second highest rate of cancer in the nation. This might very well be due to the excessive amount of nitrates in our water due to the huge amount of Confined feeding operations and massive agriculture overuse of fertilizer.”

When our institutions do the bidding of corporate interests, it's not the time to remain silent. We’ll keep speaking out to hold polluters accountable and demand more of elected officials whose job is to represent us.

Let's keep at it,

 

Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director

Take action

August 20: opportunities to take action in Des Moines

Nurses with UnityPoint will hold a rally on Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 11am - 12pm in front of Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Despite organizing with Teamsters Local 90 since November, nurses continue to work in an unsafe environment and interference with their right to organize a union.

Also in Des Moines this Wednesday, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) will hold their first public meeting of the year. Join allies with the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter and others to show them we don't want Bruce Rastetter's dangerous CO2 pipeline. August 20 at 9am, IUC office, 1375 E. Court Ave.

August 26: Why Public Schools?

We know public schools are the lifeblood of nearly all our communities. And we know Iowa's public education system was once the envy of the nation. But what is it that makes them so special, and what can they be if we fully fund them?

Join us over zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 26 @ 6:30pm with CCI member and educator Nick Covington to discuss how we convey the importance of public schools and build the movement to fully fund them. In this interactive workshop we’ll discuss the importance of perspectives on public education, dispel myths about school vouchers, and develop a strong vision for our public schools.

Together we can create a strong vision of Iowa education beyond simply meeting minimum standards - we can craft a vision of how our state could once again lead the nation in preparing our children for the future. Register to join us here!

September 4: Defeat the Cancer Gag Act (again)

This past legislative session, Iowans came together to defeat Bayer's Cancer Gag Act. So now they've set their sights on the federal level to gain immunity from lawsuits if folks are harmed from using their products.

We're not backing down or rolling over, we'll keep fighting for what's right. That's why we're coming together over Zoom on September 4 at 6pm to get the latest on Bayer's efforts and strategize ways to defeat their Cancer Gag Act again. RSVP to join us here!

In the Des Moines area and want to help us get lots of folks to join us on September 4? We'll be hosting two phone banks at the CCI office, join us for an hour of making calls on August 20 @ 6pm (RSVP here) or August 28 @ 2pm (RSVP here).

YOU should run for school board

Our school boards play an important role in protecting public education, which isn't just important for students and teachers, but to our society as a whole. It's a cornerstone of our democracy, and one of the first places where it doesn't matter who you are or what your background is. You have the right to an education regardless. 

If you've ever thought about running for school board, or if you haven't but now you're curious, take a look at the video above! Hear from experienced CCI members who have done it before and know you can too. 

And when you decide it's your time to run, get in touch with Katie Biechler at kbiechler@iowacci.org!

Water Talk

Join the water testing crew August 28 @ 5pm

Click here to get registered for our monthly Zoom on Thursday, August 28 at 5pm.

The conversation about Iowa's water crisis continues to grow. Two big things have happened:

  • Hundreds gathered for a presentation of the Polk County CISWRA project, which found that nearly 80% of nitrate contamination in the rivers comes from agricultural sources.

  • The Trump EPA rescinded its decision to add 7 segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. CCI members helped organize public comments to get those segments added just months ago.

In CCI’s water monitoring program, many of our testers have recorded numbers over the EPA standard of 10 mg/L in Iowa’s rivers and streams. These high levels of pollutants in our sources of drinking water make treating it more difficult - and more expensive! We will talk about all of this on our monthly Zoom.

Join us Thursday, August 28 on Zoom!

THEY dump it. WE drink it. WE won’t stop until THEY clean it up.

Articles of Interest

What We're Reading

These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!

Katie Bryan
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This week in Iowa organizing…