This Month Across the Midwest

►JANUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER

Retiring MidAmerican’s Coal by 2030 Could Save Iowans $1.2 Billion

According to a new independent analysis commissioned by ELPC and our partners, MidAmerican Energy could save Iowans nearly $1.2 billion by retiring all of its coal plants by 2030 and replacing its coal fleet with approximately 2,000 MW of solar generation, 740 MW of battery storage, and 2,000 MW of supplemental wind power. Earlier this year, ELPC and other environmental groups sued the Iowa Utilities Board for refusing to evaluate MidAmerican coal plants, and this study further validates our concerns.

Coal is detrimental to public health and pocketbooks across the state. “MidAmerican should act in the best interest of its customers. If it doesn’t, the Utilities Board needs to step in,” said Josh Mandelbaum, Senior Attorney for ELPC. “MidAmerican has not been transparent with the Board or its customers. It’s time to take a closer look at what MidAmerican plans to do and whether its decisions are reasonable.”

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News and Updates

CLEAN WATER

Good News: Settlement in Steel Mill Case Holds Polluters Accountable

After an ammonia and cyanide steel mill spill in Indiana killed 3,000 fish and closed beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline in 2019, ELPC and allies sued to protect clean water. We have agreed to a settlement in principle with the owners, Cleveland-Cliffs, to hold the steelmaker accountable and prevent this from happening again. Details coming soon.

WILD AND NATURAL PLACES

Chicago’s Southeast Side Deserves Cleaner Alternatives to Lakeside Dredge Dump

Instead of cleaning up the toxic Confined Disposal Facility on the shores of Lake Michigan and turning it into a park as promised, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking to expand the facility, even as rising lake levels increase the threats of contamination. We’re calling on federal, state, and city leaders and agencies to pivot to better alternatives to protect the Great Lakes and shoreline communities already overburdened by pollutants.

WATCH THIS

ELPC’s Year-End Update Video

In case you missed it, here are just a handful of things we worked on in 2021.

UPCOMING EVENT

ELPC Thinks Webinar:
A Discussion with Rep. Mike Quigley

Thursday, January 20
11:30 am CT

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WE'RE HIRING

Senior Litigation Attorney – Natural Resources Protection

Litigation Attorney – Clean Air & Water Enforcement

Litigation Attorney – Water Pollution, Agriculture

Associate Attorney

Clean Energy Attorney – Grid Transformation

Foundation Grant Writer

CONVERSATIONS WE'RE FOLLOWING

AP: EPA Moves to Crack Down on Dangerous Coal Ash Storage Ponds
ELPC Blog: New Cleaner Car Standards: On the Road to Urgently-Needed Climate Action
Holland Sentinel: Regulators Approve Sale of Soon-To-Be-Shuttered Palisades Nuclear Plant
ELPC Blog: Wooden Reserves: Protecting Mature Forests is Essential Climate Action
9&10News: MPSC Approves $27M Rate Increase for Consumers Energy Electric Customers
Chicago Tribune: Little Village Residents Slam City for Failing to Reduce Influx of Industry: ‘As if We Don’t Deserve Clean Air’

We're all in to protect the Midwest's environment.

Founded in 1993, the Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest's leading environmental legal advocacy organization. We advocate, innovate, and litigate to protect the Midwest's environment from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains.

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