From the President
A standing ovation to Sandy Stanley for her efforts to bring David Osterberg to Muscatine! Sandy worked to publicize the event and was successful. There were about 50 people attending that included 7 elected officials. Thank you, Sandy!
Be ready for our February 28th meeting! Go to the public library and ask for the book, The New Jim Crow. There is a book kit with 10 books available for check out. Read some or all to inform yourself on the issues surrounding mass incarceration.
I hope to see everyone at the January 24th meeting with David Gobin. He will tell us about the feasibility study of the City of Muscatine to become a port authority.
Until then - enjoy the holidays!
Sue
Water Quality: Is Voluntary Action Working?
Our League hosted a presentation on water quality. David Osterberg, of the Iowa Policy Project and professor in the Occupational and Environmental Health Department at the University of Iowa, spoke to area residents. Osterberg focused on the 2013 Nutrient Reduction Strategy and asked if it is working. You can read David Osterberg’s writing at http://iowapolicyproject.org/2016docs/161117-water-xs.pdf
“Some research showed that in the Gulf of Mexico the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen has not decreased. Using data from the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll he showed that many farmers are not investing in conservation. The results are algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and the closing of Iowa Lakes during the summer season. Beach advisories increased in recent years due to microcystin, a toxin produced by blue-green algae. “This is Iowa now,” said Osterberg.1”
Cities and industries are treated differently. The discharge from cities and industries are referred to as point areas. Mandates to manage and reduce pollutants exist for them.
Farms and ag land are call non-point areas. The source of what drains into streams and rivers is hard to determine, and up until now, voluntary action has been encouraged through cost sharing measures.
“Some of the most startling date relates to farmers willingness to curb pollution of the water. Osterberg’s paper states, “In Iowa State University’s Farm and Rural Life Poll, 51 percent of farmers reported spending nothing on conservation in the 10 years prior to the 2011 survey. Fortunately, a 2014 Farm and Rural Life Poll shows more dollars being spent on conservation measures and suggests the new emphasis on water quality may be motivating landowners to do more to protect land and reduce water pollution. However, both polls demonstrate that asking producers to voluntarily spend funds to protect water is not enough. Even in the 2014 survey, more than 40 percent of producers spent less than $5,000 over the previous 10 years, or less than $500 per year. Since the average size of an Iowa farm is about 350 acres, this suggests that voluntary action has brought spending of little more than a dollar an acre.2”
Based on research, Iowa is doing little to reach the goals of the 2013 Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
All Iowans want to improve water quality for drinking, recreation and agriculture. It is estimated that it will take billions of dollars to improve our water quality. Iowans are watching and waiting to see what the next steps will be.
1. Emily Wenger, Muscatine Journal, November 30, 2016
2. Donnelle Eller & Christopher Doering Ag census finds Iowa farms are bigger but fewer in numberDes Moines Register. February 21, 2014. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2014/02/21/ag-census-finds-iowa-farms-are-bigger-but-fewer-innumber/5669313/
In the New Year
Port Authority – January 24, 2017 http://www.officeholidays.com/
The Duncan Room, 315 Iowa Ave., 7:00 pm
David Gobin, Muscatine’s Community Development Director, will provide information on the plans for a port authority in Muscatine.
The city of was awarded a $100,000 Linking Iowa’s Freight Transportation System (LIFTS) Grant in February. The LIFTS Grant is an 80/20 match grant, meaning the grant provides $80,000 in funding which will be paired with $20,000 from private sources (GPC), totaling $100,000 that will be used for the feasibility study.
By the January 24th League meeting the feasibility study should be very close to completion. A feasibility study is a necessary first step toward establishing a port authority in Muscatine because it has the potential to provide justification to move forward with applying for larger grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
This project will enhance the economic health of the entire surrounding region by ensuring efficient, diverse, and cost-effective freight transportation options for area businesses with access to world markets. Completion of this project could benefit all of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois since there are no intermodal container facilities north of St. Louis along the Mississippi River.1
The Muscatine City Council approved an agreement with HDR, Inc. to do study on the feasibility of an Intermodal Container Port.2
1. Emily Lofgren, “CITY OF MUSCATINE ON THE PATH TO BEING AWARDED LIFTS GRANT,” January 13, 2016.
2. Emily Wegner, “Muscatine City Council overrides Mayoral Veto,” Sept. 1, 1916, Muscatine Journal
Community Read, February 28, 2107
Pick up the book at Musser Public Library, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or put it on your wish list to read for the February 28 meeting. League will co-sponsor the event with the Alexander Clark Foundation (ACF). We are pleased to have Adrien Wing, U of I College of Law, as our moderator for the event.
The New Jim Crow is a must read for anyone interested in justice reform. Whether you all the book, the first chapters or none of the book, if you are interested in this topic, you are encouraged to attend.
Adrien Wing
Adrien Wing is the Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law Programs and the Bessie Dutton Murray Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, where she has taught since 1987