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Iowa must step up on climate change
Gazette Editorial
Jul. 9, 2022 7:00 am
The U.S. Supreme Court recently dealt a serious blow to federal efforts to combat climate change, curbing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to pursue rules cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s thrown the question of regulatory authority to a gridlocked Congress, where Republicans and a few Democrats have erected roadblocks to climate action, even as scientists warn time is running out to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. The ruling leaves few avenues for agency experts and the president to pursue efforts to lessen the damage.
The ruling could mean the climate crisis spotlight shifts to state and local efforts. We’re fortunate to live in a region where local governments have adopted plans to address climate change. Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Johnson County and Linn County are each making aggressive efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Iowa City’s plan calls for 35 actions intended to reduce communitywide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Cedar Rapids’ plan aims for zero net carbon emissions by 2050, an ambitious goal for a city known for its large industrial base.
Unfortunately, the state of Iowa does not have a statewide climate adaptation plan. It’s been more than a decade since the Iowa Climate Change Advisory panel was disbanded.
In 2021, Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed a carbon sequestration task force that was dominated with members representing agricultural interests and included no members from environmental groups that have studied broader climate issues. Not surprisingly, the task force’s deliberations centered on ways farmers and agribusiness could profit from sequestering carbon and trading carbon credits. Some of the ideas have merit, but a far broader approach is needed.
Now, the state is considering carbon capture pipelines, which would sequester carbon generated by ethanol plants and pump it into underground storage in other states. The private projects will need billions of dollars in federal tax credits and permission from the Iowa Utilities Board to seize land through eminent domain from unwilling landowners. One project, the Summit pipeline, includes backers with political ties to the governor.
The projects strike us more as an expensive, invasive efforts to market the ethanol industry as the nation turns to greener energy sources than as an effective climate change strategy.
It’s true that local and state efforts can’t match the impact of national and global action. But it’s long past time for Iowa, a state that’s seen catastrophic flooding and extreme weather, to do more. Voters can do their part by seeking out candidates who will address the crisis.
(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com
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