This week in Iowa organizing…
What a week, again.
The heat continues to crank up on Rastetter's Summit Carbon greenwashing scheme, and we'll know by the end of this week if the IUB is able to finish its rushed hearing process.
Nationally, the Writers Guild of America appear to have reached an agreement with Hollywood studios and scored a win for workers and a step for an economy that puts people before obscene profits for a select few. Eyes will continue to be on auto workers and their intensified strike to ensure better wages and a level playing field.
And in D.C., with the threat of a government shutdown looming, it seems the hottest issue of the past week was the Senate dress code. I just can't help but laugh at the probable hypocrisy of Senate members claiming they're all about decorum when the lives and livelihoods of so many of us are on the line.
Okay, there's still lots to do this week, ways to take action from anywhere for our environment, and exciting updates. Read on for more!
Matthew Covington (he/him)
Strategic Operations Director
Take action
Tell the DNR to create strong rules for factory farms
As part of Governor Reynolds' plan to consolidate state agencies, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has drafted rules to regulate factory farms in Iowa. While the most recent proposal has some positive changes (such as only requiring county Board of Supervisors to pass the Master Matrix once, not every single year), overall the rules tilt toward agribusiness interests and don't do enough to protect our water and environment.
That’s why we are working with allies like Iowa Environmental Council, Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors, and others to submit comments to the DNR. We are asking the DNR to do their job and put our environment before agribusiness profits! Specifically, we want the new rules to:
Increase the separation distance from factory farms and karst terrain to at least 25 feet
Require factory farm Manure Management Plans be submitted online and readily available to the public
Adopt the proposed rules that decrease the over application of toxic liquid manure from factory farms
Please take 5 minutes to submit a comment to the Iowa DNR today. Comments are due by 4:30 PM Tuesday, September 26.
This Thursday: September 28 - Let's go to the movies Scott County!
Community members from 5 different organizations across the United States-- including two of Iowa's very own experts, Diane Rosenberg and John Ikert--share their stories and experiences living near factory farms in 'Right to Harm'.
This film exposes the health issues and damages to quality of life that surround industrial agriculture and shares how government agencies have failed to regulate factory farms.
Join us this Thursday, September 28th from 7-9PM at Scott County Park to watch and discuss how citizen groups have rallied against Big Ag and industry-loving politicians to fight for clean air, water, and land!
This Sunday: October 1 in Dubuque - The People's Housing Forum
On September 5, CCI members in Dubuque attended the city council meeting to speak on the need for low and mixed-income housing to truly meet the needs of the community.
While the housing development being considered is moving forward without mixed-income units, CCI members aren't backing down from our vision for housing justice. Our elected officials need to hear from people about the need for renter protections and affordable housing development.
That’s why this Sunday, October 1, from 4-5:30pm as part of the Dubuque Week of Peace we are hosting The Dubuque People's Housing Forum.
This is going to be an open mic forum. Anyone can ask a question, share a story, or give a statement on housing. This is a chance to ask a question, share a story, or give your thoughts on what needs to improve with housing in Dubuque. RSVP here to join us on October 1!
EPA - we don't need more studies, we need action
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied our legal petition calling for Clean Water Act permits. Instead, the EPA is creating an 'advisory subcommittee' to study whether factory farms pollute water.
While the EPA wants to study the problem, we're living with it every day. That ain’t right!
That’s why we’re doing two things to keep the pressure on the EPA:
We sued! It’s the EPA’s job to protect communities from factory farm pollution. So we’re demanding they consider items from the petition that could expand and strengthen Clean Water Act permits for factory farms.
Demanding national EPA administrator, Michael Regan, come to Iowa to meet with CCI members! If they want to “study” the problem, they need to get out of D.C. and come to ground zero. Will you add your name in support?
Iowa’s families deserve a safe and healthy environment for the years to come. We cannot and will not back down. Not until we see headlines that read “EPA gets serious about water quality”.
Hoops & Hurdles... brought to you by the health insurance industry!
It’d be funny if it wasn’t so true. Navigating America’s for-profit health insurance system all too often feels like we’re jumping through hoops and hurdles with no end in sight.
So we’re calling it what it is – ‘Hoops & Hurdles’! Our health and the well-being of our communities shouldn’t be a game, but health insurance companies are standing in the way of our care.
That’s why we’re pushing back and pushing for a system that puts people first and our care over cost. We’re highlighting stories of the hoops and hurdles everyday people have been forced to jump through just to get the care we need as part of a broader campaign to get profits out of healthcare.
Learn more and join the 'fun' here!
Transparency in labeling is "COOL"
Earlier this month we sent a letter signed by over 400 Iowa cattle producers to Senators Grassley and Ernst asking them to co-sponsor the American Beef Labeling Act (S. 52). This bill has strong bipartisan support and would restore Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef!
For far too long, family farmers and consumers have been taken advantage of by JBS, Tyson, National Beef (Marfrig), Cargill, Smithfield and other meatpacking corporations. These corporate giants have been pocketing massive profits while farmers go broke and consumers pay sky high prices for beef. Will you help us keep this issue front and center by emailing both Grassley & Ernst today?
Here are a few reasons why we support reinstating mandatory COOL:
We have labeling for many other products, it’s a no-brainer to also have transparent labeling for beef
Consumers deserve to know where their beef comes from, and producers deserve fair prices and fair markets
Four big packers - JBS, Cargill, Tyson and National Beef Packing – control over 80% of the cattle market, COOL is an important part of reforming a rigged system
Please take 5 minutes to email Grassley & Ernst here, then let us know what you hear.
Book Club options: Clean Water Book Club for The Swine Republic
We're a month out from our call with author Chris Jones on Oct 26! Today, we're excited to share a few opportunities to join an Iowa CCI Clean Water Book Club to connect with others and discuss what we're reading.
Oct 4 @ 6:00pm - in person at Confluence Brewing in Des Moines - REGISTER HERE
Oct 4 from 3-5pm - in person at the Iowa City Library. Respond to this email for details.
Oct 18 @ 6:00pm - on Zoom - REGISTER HERE
Not signed up for this month's read yet? There's still time! Visit www.iowacci.org/book to sign up, get the book, download our hosting guide, book club discussion questions and more.
Updates
Iowa CCI's Hugh Espey wins Farm Aid award
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement members joined hundreds of family farmers and grassroots rural advocates at Farm Aid 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana, this weekend to celebrate family farmers and rural America. The annual festival included a concert as well as numerous events and meetings for family farm groups fighting for fair prices, better markets, and accountability for factory farms and corporate agribusiness.
During the multi-day gathering, Farm Aid awarded Iowa CCI’s Hugh Espey with a 2023 Spirit of Farm Aid award for a decades-long career organizing for economic justice for farmers, opposition to factory farms, and support for grassroots democracy and a clean environment in rural Iowa.
“For almost 40 years Hugh has embodied what Farm Aid stands for by contributing his time and talent on behalf of America's family farmers. The work that Farm Aid continues to do would not be possible without leaders like Hugh’s organizing through Iowa CCI to fight the good fight 24/7, 365-days a year for family farmers and rural America,” said Iowa CCI Board President Barb Kalbach.
Announcing our Des Moines City Council endorsement!
At CCI Action we believe in doing politics differently. That means using elections to advance our key issue campaigns and supporting candidates who believe, like we do, that we need to put people and the planet first, and supporting candidates who understand that change comes from the bottom up.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our endorsement of Chelsea Lepley for Des Moines City Council Ward 2!
Lepley (they/she) has been organizing with her neighbors and with CCI Action for many years to uplift the voices and the stories in her community, and we know she’ll take that energy into office with her.
Early voting begins on October 18. If you want to elect a people's champion, help us get out the vote by making calls or knocking doors:
Wednesday, Sep. 27 in-person phone bank, 5-8pm
Wednesday, Sep. 27 virtual phone bank, 5-8pm
Friday, Sep. 30 door knocking in Ward 2, 1-4pm
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
Biden uses executive power to create New Deal-style American Climate Corps [The Guardian]
The National Pork Board gives more grant money than any other checkoff. Critics say it favors Big Pork [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
Summit Carbon hearings: Who's behind the curtain? [Bleeding Heartland]
Pennsylvania to start automatic voter registration [The Hill]
Book ban eviscerates parents' rights [Cedar Rapids Gazette]