This week in Iowa organizing…
I was reminded last week that there are no shortcuts - to organizing, to building community, to creating the Iowa we want to see.
Building community entails having conversations with people we know, but more so with people we don't. And they're often not easy conversations. That's because it's about listening and asking questions, not about trying to win an argument. When we understand where others are coming from and show genuine curiosity, we show a commitment to each other and the places we love.
It's a stark contrast, I'd say, to what Gov. Reynolds and legislative leadership are doing with a slew of policies aimed to silence, alienate, and erase segments of the fabric of our society. But here's the deal - they won't be around forever, maybe not long with elections in 2024, 2026, and so on.
On the other hand we ain't going anywhere. We're here for the long haul with a long-term vision and compassion for an Iowa where all welcome and supported regardless of identity, ability, ideology or background. This work will take time, and there's no shortcuts to it. And it's always worth it.
For the people and places we love,
Matthew Covington (he/him)
Strategic Operations Director
At the statehouse
Throwing kids under the bus, pipeline activity ramps up
Some Republican lawmakers continue their outright attacks on public school teachers and our children, even though they'd like you to believe otherwise. Under the guise of a worker shortage, key committees in the House and Senate continue to move forward a proposal to undue child labor laws. Instead of simply raising the minimum wage, Iowa's leaders would rather jeopardize the health and safety of "our future".
On another note, the resistance to eminent domain abuse by greenwashing CO2 pipeline profiteers continues to build so much so that House Republicans introduced a bill requiring 90% landowner approval before granting eminent domain. Keep up your calls and emails, it's working!
We continue to focus our attention on Senate File 101, because it is what we truly need in that it prevents the use of eminent domain entirely by hazardous liquid pipelines. Check out where your Senator stands and take action to keep this issue hot in the public and at the statehouse here!
We're just under two weeks from the first legislative funnel on March 3 for bills to stay alive for debate. If you haven't emailed your Senator on Senate File 101 yet, please do so now. And if you want to help spread the word even further by calling a handful of other CCI members and supporters in key Senate districts, reply to this email and let us know. We'll get you a few names and a simple script.
Elected officials represent all their constituents, no exceptions.
Take action
Today! Feb. 20 - no CO2 pipelines in Buchanan and Fayette Counties!
While we feel the impacts of climate change ramping up in Iowa, large corporations that have significantly polluted our air, land, and water are scrambling to find “solutions”—false ones— to cover up the environmental damage they inflict on our state.
What these greenwashing, money-hungry corporations fail to tell us is that CO2 pipelines are dangerous, don't solve climate change, and bolster industries that capitalize off dirty energy and destructive agricultural practices.
But we're not ones to just stand by, and the pipeline resistance continues to grow! If you live in Buchanan or Fayette County, join us Monday, Feb. 20 in Fairbank to fight back!
At this meeting, we'll present information on CO2 pipelines proposed in Iowa, hold space for community discussion surrounding pipelines, and offer chances to take action and plan next steps to bring CO2 pipeline projects to a halt.
More information and RSVP here!
Tomorrow! Join us on Zoom Feb 21 for Civic Love
Iowa CCI is excited to continue this social experiment crafted by the National Public Housing Museum that a CCI board member brought to our attention.
As organizers, the work we do to reach a lot more people across the state in increasingly polarized times takes "compassionate conversations" - which simply means sharing and listening. People - and these types of conversations to build relationships for social change - are the heart of everything we do.
For that reason, 36 questions for Civic Love seems like a great fit for our work. We hope you'll join us on Zoom and give it a try.
Tuesday, February 21
6:00 - 7:30pm
Free!
Read more and RSVP here.
This Friday (Feb. 24) - canvassing for our people and planet in Delaware & Dubuque County
We're knocking doors and canvassing streets in Dyersville to talk to folks about eminent domain abuse and the environmentally reckless Navigator pipeline proposed in Delaware County.
We'll be talking to folks in Sen. Carrie Koelker's district about the proposed Navigator pipeline that will run through through the area. Sen. Koelker sits on the Commerce Committee which is responsible for the passage of Senate File (SF) 101. SF 101 would prevent eminent domain abuse for hazardous liquid pipelines like CO2. In order for this bill to stay alive for debate, it must pass out of the Commerce Committee by March 3rd.
Help us inform people in the Dyersville area on February 24 from 2pm-4:30pm about this bill and get them in contact with Sen. Koelker. We're meeting at the James Kennedy Public Library for a quick canvassing training and then we'll set out to talk to people. You can hang up flyers, stand on a street corner, or knock on doors! Let us know if you can join us by registering here!
Deadline extended! March 10 & 11 - Candidate Leadership Training for our people and planet
We know that the legislators at the Statehouse putting forward bills like school vouchers and proposals to take food away from Iowans don't serve us or our neighbors, they serve corporate interests. It's clearer than ever before that we need folks like us - folks who share our values and our dream for a better Iowa - in elected office.
That's why we are holding our first Candidate Leadership Training on March 10th and 11th. We’ll cover everything you need to know to run a successful campaign grounded in building people power to win on our issues. This training is for prospective candidates, campaign workers, and CCI Action members committed to building base through elections.
Application deadline has been extended to this Friday, February 17, and can be accessed here. Questions? Email kbiechler@iowacci.org
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
The Great Slave Strike That Helped End Slavery [Jacobin]
'Race to the Bottom': GOP Has Introduced 84 Educational Gag Orders So Far in 2023 [Common Dreams]
Let them eat cake: ADM’s dismissive response to landowners in the CO2 pipeline route will be remembered [Cedar Rapids Gazette]
In a tight labor market, some states look to another type of worker: Children [Washington Post]
New House bill has significant restrictions for carbon dioxide pipelines [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
Big Oil’s trade group allies outspent clean energy groups by a whopping 27x, with billions in ads and lobbying to keep fossil fuels flowing [The Conversation]