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Saturday, February 28
Public Comment Period Extended for Proposed Marshalltown Coal-Fired Power Plant
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 28 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Public Comment Period Extended for Proposed Marshalltown Coal-Fired Power Plant
 Due to extensive interest, the public comment period for the draft air quality construction permits for the coal-fired power plant proposed by Interstate Power and Light for its Marshalltown facility—Sutherland Generating Station—has been extended to May 18. Public hearings will also be held in five additional cities.
Due
to the many comments received from particular areas of the state,
additional public hearings have been scheduled in Council Bluffs,
Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area.
Specific times and sites have not been determined at this point, but
the hearings will likely be held in early May. As soon as that
information is available it will be released to the public.
Currently scheduled are four public hearings (two each at two locations):
March 16, 2:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Iowa Veterans’ Home, Whitehill Chapel, 1501 Summit Street Marshalltown
March 16, 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Iowa Veterans’ Home, Marshalltown
March 17, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., Meskwaki Tribal Center, 346 Meskwaki Road, Tama
March 17, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., Meskwaki Tribal Center, Tama
The public hearings are for the purpose of accepting comments only. Comments at the public hearings will be limited to five minutes. Presentations shall include a hard copy for inclusion into public record.
Comments may also be submitted in writing before 4:30 p.m., May 18, to Chris Roling, Air Quality Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 7900 Hickman Road Ste. 1, Urbandale, IA 50322 or by e-mail to Chris Roling.
All documents for this project are available on the DNR Air Quality Bureau web site.**BFIA ACTION ALERT**Submit your comment today. Click here: Chris Roling, DNR, or copy/paste Chris.Roling@dnr.iowa.gov into your e-mail.
Friday, February 27
Iowa House Ethics Committee to Discuss Complaint Against Agriculture Committee Chair
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 27 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Iowa House Ethics Committee to Discuss Complaint Against Agriculture Committee Chair
 Iowacci.org
The House Ethics Committee will meet on Monday to review and discuss Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement's (CCI) official ethics complaint against Rep. Dolores Mertz. Rep. Helen Miller, chair of the House Ethics Committee, called the CCI headquarters to invite CCI representatives to attend Monday's meeting.
Iowa CCI members filed a formal ethics complaint against Rep. Dolores Mertz on Feb. 24, which was endorsed by 125 CCI members and supporters. The complaint calls for House leadership to remove Rep. Mertz as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee because of her family and financial ties to the factory farm industry. These ties, combined with her role as House Ag Committee chair, create a conflict of interest. CCI members are calling for policies that Put People First: People before profits, People before Politics and People before Polluters.
**ACTION**
Please join Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
for the first Ethics Committee Meeting
10:00 am at the State Capitol, Room 102
Monday, March 2, 2009
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
is a group of everyday people who talk, act and get things done on
issues that matter most. With thousands of members from all walks of
life - urban and rural, black and white, immigrants and lifelong Iowans
- CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things done for more
than 30 years.
For more information, contact: Kristin Schaaf or Natalie Snyders, ICCI
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
Join CCI at their March 3rd rally and lobby day at the Capitol. Click here for info.
Thursday, February 26
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Iowa House Agriculture Committee Chair Citing Conflict Of Interest
by
Trish Nelson
on Thu 26 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Iowa House Agriculture Committee Chair Citing Conflict Of Interest
iowacci.org
A formal ethics complaint, signed by 125 members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), was filed Feb. 24 at the State Capitol against Representative Dolores Mertz (D) of Ottosen following CCI's press conference. CCI members called on House leadership to remove Mertz as the House Agriculture Committee Chair due to her family and financial ties to the factory farm industry, creating a conflict of interest in her role as House Agriculture Chair. CCI called for a chairperson who "puts people first."
"The House Agriculture Committee is in a critical position regarding legislation that deals directly with factory farms," said CCI member Larry Ginter of Rhodes, Iowa. "As chair of the House Ag Committee, Rep. Mertz is in a very powerful position to determine the fate of factory farm bills that come before her committee. She has strong family and financial ties to the industry, and that's why we are calling for her removal as House Ag Chair due to this conflict of interest."
Rep. Mertz has family ties to the factory farm industry, as her sons Peter and David own a 4,000-head hog factory in southern Kossuth County. They have owned a operated the site for at least ten years and have been cited for five violations in the last five years. She also has financial ties to the industry -- Mertz allows her sons to spread factory farm manure on her farmland and rents those acres to them. Mertz counts her farmland as a main source of income.
Mertz has a well-documented and well-known history of supporting legislation favoring factory farms at the expense of clean air, clean water and a decent quality of life. She voted for House File 519, which opened the door wide in 1995 for factory farm expansion in Iowa. Most recently, she voted for and championed House File 2688, a bill designed to funnel $23 million in taxpayer dollars to factory farms for the "study" of air quality issues, while many studies have already been done.
Factory farms pollute our air and water and ruin our quality of life. Iowa has had over 700 illegal manure spills in the past 16 years and DNR's list of impaired waterways has grown to 441 -- an increase of 162 in just two years. CCI members call for a House Ag Chair who puts people before profits, politics and polluters and who does not have family or financial ties to the factory farm industry.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
is a group of everyday people who talk, act and get things done on
issues that matter most. With thousands of members from all walks of
life - urban and rural, black and white, immigrants and lifelong Iowans
- CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things done for more
than 30 years.
For more information, contact: Kristin Schaaf, ICCI
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
Join CCI at their March 3rd rally and lobby day at the Capitol. Click here for info.
Wednesday, February 25
Open Letter to Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Concerning the Proposed Marshalltown Coal Plant
by
paul deaton
on Wed 25 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Open Letter to Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Concerning the Proposed Marshalltown Coal Plant
 To: Chris Roling, Department of Natural Resources
Subject: Comment on Interstate Power and Light Application for an Air Quality Permit
Dear Mr. Roling:
I am a resident of Johnson County, Iowa and Chair of the Johnson County Board of Health. I request that the application for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) air quality construction permits of Interstate Power and Light regarding IPL - Sutherland Station be denied.
Here are my concerns:
The permit does not address fine particulate matter, PM2.5, that would be emitted by the proposed power plant and its potential health consequences for people in the plume. In Iowa, the study of fine particulate matter is an emerging science. In the study released last year, there was no monitor situated in Marshall County to establish a baseline against current air quality attainment standards. Establishing a PM2.5 baseline in Marshall County, before approving construction of the power plant, would be reasonable and important to the health of people living in the area of the plume. Recent events in the Port of Los Angeles serve as an example. A study of fine particulates released into the atmosphere was conducted. The results of the study led the government to change regulations regarding their release after the negative health impact (increased incidence of asthma and cardio respiratory disease) upon local residential populations became known. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources should consider the health consequences of the proposed coal plant, as it relates to PM2.5, even though it may not be part of the current regulations.
The permit application does not address carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide release is currently not regulated, but may soon be. This greenhouse gas emission has deleterious effects upon the environment and is a significant contributing cause of the planet's warming. There is broad consensus in the scientific community that continued warming of the planet would have grave human health consequences. There should be no rush to approval of this plant, as alternative forms of electricity generating capacity are reasonably available to meet consumer needs over the near term. In particular, wind power generation does not create carbon dioxide emissions and is economically feasible in Iowa. Releasing additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere with the proposed power plant, does not reflect sound public policy. Absent an economic need, a plan to release more carbon dioxide is plain wrong.
The release of mercury from the proposed power plant has not been adequately addressed by the application. The negative health consequences of environmental mercury on human populations is well known. This heavy metal travels far beyond the statutory plume when released from a coal power generating plant such as that proposed by Iowa Power and Light.
For example, studies of non-naturally occurring mercury in California, Oregon and Washington indicate that more than half is deposited from the plume of coal power generating plants located across the Pacific Ocean in China. As is thecase with carbon dioxide emissions, releasing additional mercury and other heavy metals into the atmosphere is unnecessary to meet Iowa's energy needs, as alternatives are economically feasible.
Thank you for consideration of my comments on this application. If you would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Paul Deaton
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County. E-mail Paul Deaton
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
SUBMIT A COMMENT TODAY
Public Comment Period Now Open
Comments
may be submitted in writing before 4:30 p.m. on the last day of
the public comment period to Chris Roling, Air Quality Bureau, Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, 7900 Hickman Road Ste 1, Urbandale, IA
50322. E-mail Chris Roling
Four public meetings (two each at two locations) are scheduled:
* March 16, 2:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Iowa Veterans’ Home, Whitehill Chapel, 1501 Summit Street Marshalltown
* March 16, 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Iowa Veterans’ Home, Marshalltown
* March 17, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Meskwaki Tribal Center, 346 Meskwaki Road, Tama
* March 17, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Meskwaki Tribal Center, Tama
Comments at the public meetings will be limited to five minutes. Presentations shall include a hard copy for inclusion into public record.
All documents for this project are available on the DNR Air Quality Bureau’s Web site.
Tuesday, February 24
Health Care Reform Update: Cover The Uninsured Week March 22-28
by
Alta Price
on Tue 24 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Health Care Reform Update: Cover The Uninsured Week March 22-28
 by Alta L. Price, M.D.
Cover
the Uninsured Week is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation. It is a great annual
opportunity to hold local health care reform events, and we want to
encourage you to check it out and plan your own event or participate in
other ways. Covertheuninsured.org gives us the facts, the ideas, and
the tools we need in one convenient location. And there is even free
stuff available,
if you plan early!
Covertheuninsured.org
is a great source for information about the issue. Did you know that
someone in America dies every 24 minutes because they were uninsured
and couldn’t get the health care they needed? You can get
state-specific information, too. Check out the state of Iowa page. You’ll find
a summary of how we are doing in Iowa at providing health care to our
population, and a pdf file with more details. There is a very cool Guide to Finding Health
Insurance Coverage specifically for Iowa.
Next
see the How to Help section, with suggestions
for events you can plan in your community. Here in the Quad Cities we
have had Cover the Uninsured Week events for at least the last four
years, and we will this year as well. In previous years we have gotten Cover the Uninsured Week proclamations from local mayors (and once
the Governor of Iowa), held prayer vigils, asked congregations to say a
prayer or faith leaders to preach on the issue, held press conferences,
and hosted viewings of the documentary, Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine
in Tennessee (which is
how we know Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen would be a horrible choice
for Secretary of Health and Human Services).
When I finally had the courage to invite other physicians and hospital
employees to come to our Cover the Uninsured Week viewing of that
documentary, I discovered that I am not the only physician interested
in health care reform. Who knew?  Because of my activism on the issue,
I was even invited to serve on the Executive Committee of my local
Medical Society. This year the Medical Society is one of a broad range
of cosponsors for one of our local Cover the Uninsured Week events.
(More on that next week. As you might notice, no events are listed at
the Cover the Uninsured Week website for Iowa! We are finalizing some
details before posting our events. Hopefully, some of the rest of you
just haven’t gotten around to listing your events yet.  Alta
Price is a physician practicing Pathology in Davenport, Iowa. One of
the original Deaniacs, she stays involved with Democracy for America,
Iowa, and the Quad Cities. She advocates for quality, affordable health
care for all, primarily as a volunteer with Progressive Action for the
Common Good (Health Care Reform Issue Forum). Watch for Dr. Price's Health Care Reform Update every Tuesday here on Blog for Iowa. E-Mail Alta Price
Monday, February 23
Study: Localism Key to Correcting Conservative Talk Radio Imbalance
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 23 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Study: Localism Key to Correcting Talk Radio Imbalance
 American Progress.Org
Note from BFIA: All of the italics in the following excerpt from American Progress are ours.
Despite the dramatic expansion of viewing and listening options for consumers today, traditional radio remains one of the most widely used media formats in America. Among radio formats, the combined news/talk format, through more than 1,700 stations across the nation, is estimated to reach more than 50 million listeners each week.
As this report will document in detail, conservative talk radio undeniably dominates the format:
Our analysis in the spring of 2007 of the 257 news/talk stations owned by the top five commercial station owners reveals that 91 percent of the total weekday talk radio programming is conservative, and 9 percent is progressive.
Each weekday, 2,570 hours and 15 minutes of conservative talk are broadcast on these stations compared to 254 hours of progressive talk—10 times as much conservative talk as progressive talk.
This dynamic is repeated over and over again no matter how the data is analyzed, whether one looks at the number of stations, number of hours, power of stations, or the number of programs. While progressive talk is making inroads on commercial stations, conservative talk continues to be pushed out over the airwaves in greater multiples of hours than progressive talk is broadcast.
These empirical findings ….raise serious questions about whether the companies licensed to broadcast over the public airwaves are serving the listening needs of all Americans.
The two most frequently cited reasons [for why this gap exists] are the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 and simple consumer demand. As this report will detail, neither of these reasons adequately explains why conservative talk radio dominates the airwaves.
Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept of broadcast, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management.
Ownership diversity is perhaps the single most important variable contributing to the structural imbalance based on the data. Quantitative analysis conducted by Free Press of all 10,506 licensed commercial radio stations reveals that stations owned by women, minorities, or local owners are statistically less likely to air conservative hosts or shows.
This analysis suggests that any effort to encourage more responsive and balanced radio programming will first require steps to increase localism and diversify radio station ownership to better meet local and community needs.
We suggest three ways to accomplish this:
- Restore local and national caps on the ownership of commercial radio stations.
- Ensure greater local accountability over radio licensing.
- Require commercial owners who fail to abide by enforceable public interest obligations to pay a fee to support public broadcasting.
Click here to read the entire 40-page report
**BFIA ACTION ALERT**
Sunday, February 22
Hannity And FOX Egging On Rants Against Obama
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 22 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
Hannity And FOX Egging On Rants Against Obama
 News Hounds
"We Watch Fox So You Don't Have To"
The "fair and balanced" folks at FOX News are seeking opinions of President Obama's housing plan, but only from those who want to go on camera expressing their "outrage." The Hannity page at FOXNews.com has a big graphic with the headline, Call to Action. The announcement says, "Sean wants to hear from YOU: For today only, we'd like you to send us a video clip of just how outraged you are over President Obama's $275 billion housing bailout plan. Click here to submit your rant and you could be featured on tonight's show."
Funny how they are only looking for one opinion, only, and not just a disagreement with Obama but a rant against his policy. Way to go showing how "pro-America" you are, guys!
Saturday, February 21
GOP Tries To Censor Free Speech While Pretending They Are For It
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 21 Feb 2009 05:00 AM CST
GOP Tries to Censor Free Speech While Pretending They Are For It
 As usual, the GOP, having nothing else to offer, is busy distorting issues. In this case, they are attempting to turn upside-down the meaning of the Fairness Doctrine. Feigning indignation and pretending to believe the FD is an affront to free speech, the GOP plans to force a vote on an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill, cleverly dubbed the Broadcaster Freedom Act, (read Freedom of right-wing pundits like Rush Limbaugh to monopolize the airwaves). In truth, the Fairness Doctrine would not suppress conservative talk, but would make space for a range of views on the publicly-owned airwaves in addition to the conservative view. (You can see why they're so upset about it...).
Take for instance, Iowa's own WHO-Radio, (actually, it's not Iowa's own, it's Clear Channel's own) which currently airs 13 hours a day of non-stop conservative blather, with no opposing view. The FD would mean that WHO would maybe have to go to 11 hours a day of conservative blather, and leave a couple of hours for an opposing view. (This is probably all that would be necessary to achieve fairness and balance - truth being quite identifiable and powerful if only people have access to it, one hour of exposure to truth would probably neutralize 11 hours of lies - again, you can see why they're so concerned).
Conservatives argue that the free marketplace rules! But the 1996 Telecommunications Act (the one thing I'll never forgive Bill Clinton for) made it possible for huge media companies to become giant companies and now all of the information disseminated on the broadcast airwaves reflects the interests of these few companies (not the free marketplace). Without a Fairness Doctrine or at least FCC enforcement of local public interest standards, the handful of giant companies that own all the stations and have a vested interest in the promotion of a conservative ideology, do not have to bother with what the marketplace wants; they do not have to worry about diversity, and most important of all, they can ignore the fact that they are only allowed to use the publicly owned airwaves (for free) because their license requires that they air programming that reflects the diversity of the local community.
So again, using WHO-Radio as an example, in order to claim that their programming reflects the diversity of Des Moines or central Iowa, virtually every one who lives in the WHO broadcast area would have to be a right wing-nut. Contrary to what eastern Iowans tend to believe about upstate Iowa, the November election proved that this is not the case.
Obama doesn't need the Fairness Doctrine to correct the imbalance on the publicly owned radio airwaves. This is why he can afford to say he's opposed to it (although I have not found where he has said he believes it violates free speech). All that really needs to happen, IMHO(!) is for the FCC to enforce station licensure requirements, which I think is pretty clear the Obama FCC will look into first chance they get. Nevertheless, it would be good to contact your Senators and Representatives to make sure they vote NO on the GOP effort to censor diverse speech.
Here's the story from Demint.senate.gov
DeMint to Force Vote Next Week on Bill to Stop Fairness Doctrine
President Obama says his administration opposes the Fairness Doctrine, which violates free speech; the DeMint-Thune Broadcaster Freedom Act takes a stand against such censorship.
February 19, 2009 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, announced that he will offer the Broadcaster Freedom Act (S.34) as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill next week. The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by U.S. Senators DeMint and John Thune (R-South Dakota), prevents the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, which would suppress free speech by requiring the government to monitor political views and decide what constitutes fair political discourse.
President Obama stated yesterday that he opposes the fairness doctrine, but Democrats in Congress have disagreed with the administration and announced their support for suppressing free speech on the radio, including: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), Charles Schumer (D-New York), Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Diane Feinstein (D-California).
The DeMint-Thune Senate bill, S. 34, has 29 cosponsors including Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Christopher Bond (R-Missouri), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) John Ensign (R-Nevada), Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), Mel Martinez (R-Florida), Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), David Vitter (R-Louisiana), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi).
The Broadcaster Freedom Act has also been introduced in the House by U.S. Congressmen Mike Pence (R-Indiana), chairman of the House Republican Conference, and Greg Walden (R-Oregon) and the bill currently has 177 cosponsors.
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