Elizabeth Miglin | May 6, 2021
The new Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan visited Iowa on Tuesday to discuss agriculture’s impact on environmental issues.
Regan’s first visit to Iowa, included a tour of the Lincolnway Energy ethanol plant near Nevada, followed by a group discussion with farmers and a meeting with Gov. Kim Reynolds in Des Moines. Later in the day, Regan met with state and city officials to announce plans for a superfund site near downtown Des Moines. Notably, no discussions occurred with environmental organizations during his trip.
The focus of Regan’s visit surrounded water quality, biofuels, and livestock production. Iowa environmental advocates have long supported regulation of nitrogen and phosphorus, two of the main farm fertilizers polluting Iowa’s lakes and streams. However, Regan spoke in favor of a nutrient reduction strategy focused on individual farmers taking steps to address this issue, according to the Iowa Capi
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email The Environmental Threat More Immediate Than Climate Change
The uptick in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions poses substantial dangers for people and the economy, says an EPA scientist. Anthony Robledo |
By Anthony Robledo
A Pew Research Center survey conducted last year found that 60% of U.S. adults surveyed viewed climate change as a major threat, and 65% claimed that the federal government was not doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change.
One of the primary endeavors of the Biden administration has been to refocus on climate change, an issue highlighted during the Obama administration. Leading the charge is Michael S. Regan, a former EPA staffer and former head secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, who recently became the first African American to serve as EPA’s 16
[co-author: Shawn Whites]
President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate has wrapped up. The event saw world leaders highlighting their countries’ respective climate commitments, calling for collective action, and attending breakout sessions designed to foster dialogue around climate finance and technological innovation, among other topics. After Vice President Harris and President Biden opened the summit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered further introductory remarks before the trio joined Climate Envoy John Kerry at a horseshoe-shaped table to watch speeches from the world leaders in attendance. Then fifteen additional cabinet heads, political appointees, and special advisors spoke or moderated sessions during over the next two days. These U.S. officials comprise the core leadership team tasked with implementing the administration’s “whole of government” climate strategy. Below, we introduce these key members in the order in which they first appeared during the Summ
Lowell to add stormwater charge to municipal utility bills
Lowell utility customers will be seeing a new charge on their monthly bills this summer.
For the first time in the city s history, a stormwater utility fee will now be a separate item on each monthly bill.
Residential customers will pay a flat rate of $6.75 per month.
Businesses and industries will pay $6.75 per month for every 2,827 square feet of impervious surface on the property.
Impervious surfaces include rooftops, driveways, patios, sidewalks, or any other hard surface that does not allow rainwater to be absorbed into the ground.
According to City Manager Scott Attaway, the funds raised by the new charge will be used to meet mandatory guidelines imposed on the city by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.