Dude, Who Took My Water?

Yesterday the Environmental Film Festival in conjunction with FAIR! and Environmental Advocates screened "Blue Gold: World Water Wars" and to say it was eye-opening is an understatement. According to Public Citizen, "31 countries are now facing water scarcity and 1 billion people lack access clean drinking water. Water consumption is doubling every 20 years and yet at the same time, water sources are rapidly being polluted, depleted, diverted and exploited by corporate interests ranging from industrial agriculture and manufacturing to electricity production and mining. The World Bank predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will suffer from lack of clean and safe drinking water."

As proof that access to water and war are becoming inseperable, we need look no further than the West Bank where the World Bank reports Israelis have access to more than four times as much water Palestinians have in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The continued struggle in the Sudan is a result of limited water supplies and who controls them, as 44 per cent of Sudan’s population does not having a safe source of drinking water.

Even here in the United States the privatization of water supplies is underway. Some corporate interests want to sell bulk water from the Great Lakes, the world's largest freshwater system. Wisconsin and Michigan have been targeted by giant bottled water companies like Perrier to sell bottled water. As drinking water has been degraded, the bottled water industry is promoting its expensive product as the solution.

The Great Lakes have suffered from pollution, lost two-thirds of their extensive wetlands and experienced a catastrophic loss of biological diversity. Only 3% of the shorelines are suitable for swimming.

Cities have contracted their water services to private companies and now, according to the NY Times, serve about one in 20 Americans. The results have not been good. Atlanta, which contracted in 1999 with United Water seized back control when taxpayers complained of subpar water quality and United Water did not deliver promised improvements.

In smaller communities privatization has also led to problems. In Huber Heights, Ohio in 1993, American Water Works purchased Ohio Suburban Water that provided water for 40,000 customers. The city opposed the sale, concerned that the company would raise rates and extend service to areas beyond the city limits without annexation, thus impairing the city’s ability to grow. The company increased its rates by 30 percent and, at the same time contracted to deliver up to 2 million gallons of Huber Heights’ water a day to an industrial park located outside the city.

It is clear that the access to clean water is a right all people should have and our lawmakers should not aid and abet those that would seek to profit from creating misery either through profiting from operations, distribution, or polluting the water supply.

Just Say No to Pork

I love pigs. I do not love how large hog containment farms and the Big Pork lobby get to screw up the water supply and possibly the overall health of the rest of us in Iowa. If anything about last year's flooding should resonate to anyone who does not live in a rural part of the state, when there is a sh*t storm, it all flows downstream.

We are not talking about a little hog poop. We are talking about millions of gallons of swine feces that has had an adverse affect of aquaculture in the upper Iowa river valleys. As Iowa is the leading pork producing state, it is not inconsequential that it also leads the nation in factory farms. For context, the total U.S. hog population numbered 53 million in 1965. This number was spread over more than 1 million pig farms in the United States, many of which were small family operations. Today, 65 million hogs are raised on just over 65,000 farms across the nation. Many of these factory farms are raising 5,000 hogs at any given time.

According to Newsfood.com, human health is "threatened by the likelihood of animals to excrete pathogenic microbes. The tremendous quantities of waste that concentrate on the premises of industrial animal producers may exceed the capacity of the landscape to absorb the nutrients and neutralize the pathogens. The annual production of manure produced by animal confinement facilities exceeds that produced by the human population of the country by at least three times. And unlike human sewage, the majority of waste from factory farms is spread upon the ground untreated."

Joe Hennager, organizer of the group STIR (Save the Iowa River) has suggested that a step in the right direction is for all of us who value clean water over cruelty to pigs to step up and pledge to stop eating pork. I've taken Joe up on the pledge. This is a easier to do than to wait for our weak-kneed legislators to find the cajones to allow the Dept. of Natural Resource do its job and enforce clean water laws.

Clean Water Infrastructure Is Good Infrastructure

Anyone who mucked about in the floodwaters of last spring should have no trouble grasping the sad state of affairs that our waterways in Iowa are in. Our representatives in Washington should be supportive of efforts from groups like the Iowa Environmental Council who are front and center on this issue. The IEC has the following to say with respect to the stimulus bill working its way through the US Senate.

The Iowa Environmental Council is encouraging U.S. lawmakers to increase clean water infrastructure funding in the economic stimulus plan, now under consideration in Congress. The House version of the stimulus package currently includes $8 billion and the Senate bill $4 billion for clean water infrastructure. The EPA estimated the cost of meeting our clean water infrastructure needs at $580 billion during the last assessment in 2004, according to a GAO report.

In Iowa alone, the Department of Natural Resources estimates water infrastructure needs to be over $618 million over the next two to three years.

According to Susan Heathcote, water program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, 87 of these projects, with a total cost of $306 million, could be underway in three to four months if the necessary funding were made available.

Sixty-six communities in Iowa do not have a public sewer system and 21 communities need help to upgrade their drinking water systems says Heathcote.

"These needs combined with the fact that we could have shovels in the ground as soon as funding becomes available make them perfect candidates for funding under the nation's economic stimulus package," said Heathcote.

In letters to Iowa Representative Boswell and Senators Harkin and Grassley, Heathcote outlined Iowa projects that could proceed immediately with available funding:

- 25 communities with sewage treatment plant projects, with estimated needed loan amounts of $165 million;

- 41 small unsewered communities, with estimated total cost of $72 million.

- 21 communities with need for upgrades to their drinking water systems, with an estimated total cost of $69 million.

Heathcote says, in addition to the new water projects outlined above, Iowa communities also need help to address ongoing efforts to separate outdated combined sewer systems and to repair or replace aging sanitary sewer system pipes. Until this work is completed, Iowa communities must continue to deal with the public health threat from frequent failure of sanitary sewer systems that result in discharges of untreated sewage into Iowa rivers.

"While we are addressing our ailing economy, why not make a real investment in clean water?" said Heathcote.

Vote Yes to Conserve Land in Johnson County

I have written about why the bond initiative is worthwhile, but here is more information from the Our Land, Water, and Future group's Janelle Rettig.

Friends,

As often happens in the closing days of a campaign a lot of misinformation, scare tactics and dirty tricks start appearing. You would think a campaign about cleaning up our local environment with natural projects to help with clean water, flood protection, and clean air would escape these political scare tactics, but that isn't the case. We've prepared a Q & A about the conservation issue that is on the back of the ballot. This issue is the very last thing on the Johnson County ballot and we need 60% to pass it. That means we need about 41,000 yes votes. This is a daunting task, but you can help with just a few minutes of your time.



Here's how:

300 people on this list forward it to everyone, list serves, facebook lists in Johnson County that they know

If we each reach at least 20 people, we will reach 6,000. If those 6,000 reach 10 more each, we will have reached 60,000. If you take out duplicates, we can still reach the 41,000 votes we need in just a few minutes of your time and at no expense. Campaigns are expensive, so free electronic communication is priceless.

Won't you spend a few minutes of time helping this important cause? Please do it today, because people are voting so quickly we don't want to miss anyone that would otherwise be willing to flip the ballot over and consider voting for the environment and conservation.

If you have any questions or are willing to volunteer more, please contact us at the addresses listed at the bottom of this email.

Thank you,

Janelle Rettig

Co-chair, Citizens for Our Land, Water and Future


The Skinny:


What is this $20 million campaign about?

This initiative will provide $20 million dollars over twenty years ($1 million per year) to be administered by the County Conservation Board to acquire and develop lands for water quality, protect forests, improve air quality, protect natural areas and wildlife habitat, and provide for parks and trails.

It will be leveraged with federal, state, and corporate grants and individual, business and non-profit contributions for a likely multiplying effect of 2.5 to 3 times—or $50 to $60 million for our land, water and future. No land will be condemned; only willing sellers and donors will be considered. The plan will be flexible and developed with citizen input; the spending will receive annual audits.

What will it cost a homeowner?

An owner of a $200,000 house would pay an additional $26.36 a year, or approximately $2.20 a month--the cost of a large coffee. Farmland owners would pay an additional 21 cents per acre per year.


Isn't this the wrong time to raise taxes?

There never seems like a good time to invest in the green infrastructure. There will always be another building to build, another road to build. We have to invest in our quality of life in a percentage of the way we invest in our growth. Johnson County will add 29,000 residents in the first 20 years of this century. This growth is gobbling up large junks of land. We must start identifying areas for green space, for conservation and setting them aside for future generations.

A better question might be what is the cost of inaction?

We can see by terrible flooding this year, the cost of inaction. We've torn up the prairies, drained the wetlands and replaced them with miles of pavement, roofs, and row crops. Then we wonder where the snow melt and rains go. As we know after this summer they go into our homes, business, and yards. It's time to put some wetlands back where they belong and out of our front yards. Small natural watershed protections can have enormous benefits.

The only better time to invest in natural watershed flood protection and clean water would have been 15 years ago after the last big flood. One thing is certain the cost of inaction will be much more expensive than $2 or 3 dollars a month.

Many people move to Johnson County for our quality of life. Our quality of life is not a stagnant target. We must continue to invest in it in proportion with our growth. No one has ever moved to a community or brought a business there because the county had a great big new jail. If we have needs for future construction and growth, one way to pay for them is to grow our tax base by making Johnson County an even better place to live.

What does the actual ballot say?

"Shall the County of Johnson, State of Iowa, be authorized to acquire and develop lands with public access provided, to be managed by the Johnson County Conservation Board, in order to protect the water quality in rivers, lakes and streams; protect forests to improve air quality; protect natural areas and wildlife habitat from development, and provide for parks and trails, at a cost not exceeding $20,000,000 and issue its general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding $20,000,000 for that purpose, to be repaid in not more than 20 years? All expenditures will be subject to an annual independent audit."

Is there a plan?

The County Conservation Board is creating an additional strategic plan (adding to their current plan) for conservation should this initiative pass. They have already had five public input sessions throughout the county and have had several planning sessions. The meetings are open to the public and input is welcome. They must vote on acquiring land and those land purchases also must be approved by the County Board of Supervisors, thereby creating several layers of transparency.

The public and conservation board are very concerned about water quality, watershed protections, and natural flood prevention. Wetlands, buffer strips, prairies have multiple beneficial qualities. There is also an interest in buffering existing parks, such as Kent Park, Hills Access, etc. Two trail corridors have already been identified -- Solon to Ely to tie into the Linn County Trails that connect to Cedar Falls (eventually tied to North Liberty and Iowa City) and Tiffin to Kent Park (which will eventually tie Coralville to the Amana Colonies).

Why don't they know specific lands that they will purchase?

They do know the two trail corridors that are already identified. The County doesn't know what lands will become available for sale in the coming year. Please remember that land will not be condemned. That means the land owner has to be willing to sell, sell below market value, or donate land. A previous ballot issue created Kent Park. But the County is unlikely to create a big park. Because big parks take an enormous amounts of money to develop and annual maintenance budgets. We can get a lot more beneficial water protection and natural areas if we acquire property in strategic areas. Any land along a river, lake or stream is of interest; any land abutting existent green space; any land that has unique natural features or original prairie remnants; any land that connects green areas. It is impossible to identify specific land when we just don't know what will become available over twenty years.

This is not dissimilar to school issues, when we know we are bonding to build schools, but we don't know the specific location. In this case we know we are voting to build more wetlands, prairies, woodlands and trails, but the specific locations will need to have some flexibility, but will be subject to public meetings and votes by the board.

Don't taxes just keep going up?

This is happening in part because we are a growing community, and previous elected officials didn't invest enough in our infrastructure. However, this issue is a little bit different because you actually get a vote on whether or not to tax yourself for a particular issue. By voting you send your elected officials a message about the priorities you have in spending. In this case, we get to tell our government how we want to spend our money. By voting for conservation, we also send a message as to what is important to us. But, the added benefit is that by investing in our environment and our quality of life, we can actually contribute to growing our tax base by making Johnson County an even better place to live and work.

Will this fix the Iowa and Cedar Rivers, climate change, etc.?

No, but we have to start somewhere. We've seen the costs of inaction and we continue to see it every day in the local and world news. It is easy to talk about climate change, clean water and cleaner environment, more outdoors time, but is another to get started. Johnson County can lead by example and start cleaning up our part of the world. Others will follow and increase their current efforts. If we don't start somewhere, we sure won't make the world healthier by just talking. Major change starts with the first step and in this case a little investment of your own money.

Who supports this initiative?

Over 460 individuals, 12 elected officials, 24 organizations, and 19 businesses have added their names as public supporters of this initiative. Additionally, hundreds of others have taken yard signs, donated money or volunteered. The Iowa City Press Citizen and Daily Iowan have also endorsed this initiative. We welcome more individuals, elected officials, businesses and organizations to be added to the list which will be publicly advertised.

Elected Officials

Joe Bolkcom, State Senator
Amy Correia, Iowa City Council
Bob Dvorsky, State Senator
Tom Gill, Coralville City Council
Vicki Lensing, State Representative
Mary Mascher, State Representative
Kim Painter, County Recorder
Dave Parsons, Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioner
Kelley Putman, Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioner
Rod Sullivan, Board of Supervisors
Ross Wilburn, Iowa City Council
Mike Wright, Iowa City Council

Organizations

1,000 Friends of Iowa
AFSCME Local 12
Backyard Abundance
City Federation of Labor
Democracy for America Johnson County Chapter
Environment Iowa
FAIR!
Friends of Hickory Hill Park
Friends of Iowa River Scenic Trails
Iowa Bicycle Coalition
Iowa City Area Group of the Sierra Club
Iowa Coalition of Off Road Riders
Iowa Environmental Council
Iowa Native Plant Society
Johnson County Democrats
Johnson County Green Party
Johnson County Heritage Trust
Johnson County Trail Foundation
League of Women Voters of Johnson County
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Songbird Project
UI Democrats
UI Environmental Coalition
Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City-Green Sanctuary Committee

Businesses

Artifacts
Decorum
Devotay
Diary Queen on Market
Linn Street Cafe
Motley Cow
New Pioneer Food Co-op
Northside Book Market
OM +1
Prairie Lights
Radiologic Medical Services
Real Compact Discs and Records
Red Avocado
Russ' Northside Service
Rusty's Records
Simply for Giggles
Technigraphics
Textiles
Third Eye Jewelry
World of Bikes

Who opposes this initiative?

Despite our efforts to reach out to them and make a presentation the: The Johnson County Republican Party and Farm Bureau voted to oppose this initiative without allowing us to present at their meetings.

The Flip No signs are also being funded by Tom Cardella, the owner of Thomas L. Cardella & Assoc., a telemarketing business in Coralville.

We find it disheartening that environmental protection, clean water, clean air, recreation and trails has turned into a partisan issue.

Many local Republicans are individually supportive of this initiative, but the party is opposed.

What's the bottom line?

This fall, voters in Johnson County can do something on the local level that will make an impact on today--and for future generations. This could be the most important local environmental, conservation, recreation, and trails measure of our generation. It will provide money to protect our drinking water sources; the water quality of local rivers, lakes, streams; the watersheds of the Iowa and Cedar Rivers; forests to improve air quality; natural areas from development; and to provide new recreational trails. This year's terrible flooding is precisely the reason we need additional investments in conservation. When we drain wetlands, tear up prairies, and pour miles of pavement, where can the snow melt and rains go? If there is anything we should learn from recent floods, it is that we need more wetlands, green belts around waterways and creeks, and more prairies and woodlands. We need to naturally slow water runoff and allow nature to clean our water. So please flip the ballot over and vote yes.

How can I help?

When you vote this fall, please FLIP the ballot over and vote YES for clean water, clean air, conservation, recreation and trails. To find out more about this initiative, please contact us: www.landwaterfuture.org; landwaterfuture@gmail.com; 319-330-5587.

1) Vote
2) Forward this to everyone you know in Johnson County
3) Help us October 25, 26, November 1 and 2 as we conduct a countywide viability campaign waving signs and walking door to door. Can you give us 1, 2 or 3 hours any of those days between 9 am and 5 pm?
4) Contribute money to fund advertising. Our opponents have purchased $5,000 of radio ads on one station and $3,000 in newspaper ads in just the last few days. We do not have the money to compete, so any contribution is helpful.

Thank you

Citizens for Our Land, Water and Future
PO Box 5125
Coralville, IA 52241
www.landwaterfuture.org
landwaterfuture@gmail.com
319-330-5587 cell
Donations by mail or on-line here:
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19976

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27336776879

Cool, Not So Clear Water

What's in your tapwater? According to a number of studies, much more than you think and the meaning of which is thus far not well understood.

One study points out the increase of pharmaceuticals in the water supply, most of which can be excreted from the body (usually in urine), flushed into toilets, and can pass through sewerage treatment plants into surface waters, rivers, etc.

In Philadelphia, the water department has found traces of 56 pharmaceuticals or their byproducts - like the active ingredients in drugs to treat depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, fever and pain - in the drinking water, and that 63 pharmaceuticals or byproducts had been found in the city's source watersheds. However the Water Department spokeswoman Laura Copeland said, "It would be irresponsible to communicate to the public about this issue, as doing so would only generate questions that scientific research has not yet answered. We don't want to create the perception where people would be alarmed."

The City of Milwaukee does monitor pharmaceuticals and other personal care products (PPCPs) and provides this infomration on their website to citizens, but does include a disclaimer: "The fact that a substance is detectable does not mean the substance is harmful to humans. To date, research throughout the world has not demonstrated an impact on human health from pharmaceuticals at the low levels found in some drinking water supplies."

Experts encourage people not to flush unused medicines down the toilet, but to dispose of them as solid waste. This, of course leads to the question, does this leach into groundwater? The answer: It depends on the type of solid waste system.

Beyond pharmaceuticals, there are a number of other waste by-products that end up in the water supply. Since 1992, MTBE has been used at higher concentrations in some gasoline to fulfill the oxygenate requirements set by Congress in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. (A few cities, such as Denver, used oxygenates (MTBE) at higher concentrations during the wintertime in the late 1980's.)

A risk assessment by the European Union (EU) in 2001 of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) has concluded that it does not pose a danger to human health, but that tighter controls on the handling and storage of the chemical are required. However, MTBE producers face a crisis of public confidence in the US due to leakages from storage facilities and its known carcinogenic qualities.

While the water quality in the US continues to be higher than the world at large, with the globalization of economies, the world's fresh water supply which is 2.5% of all the world's water, is endangered.

In fact, demand is already outstripping supply as these latest statistics from Blue Gold attest:

* Groundwater extractions exceed the recharge rate in the Arabian peninsula by nearly three times
* Seawater intrusion and agricultural runoff have contaminated 13 percent of Israel's coastal aquifers
* Non-recharging aquifers in Africa are being depleted at a rate of 10 billion cubic meters per year
* India is experiencing falling water tables throughout the entire country
* Eight regions in China are subject to aquifer overdraft and Beijing's water table has fallen 37 meters during the past four decades
* Mexico city pumps out its aquifers at a rate 50 to 80 percent greater than they recharge, prompting experts to predict that the city will run dry in the next decade
* Extractions from the 800-mile wide High Plains Ogallala aquifer in the U.S. exceed the recharge rate by eight times, and finally
* "21 percent of irrigation is achieved by pumping ground water at rates that exceed the recharge rate."

As explained in Blue Gold:

The dominant worldview adhered to by the corporate elite and their allies in government places greater value on economic growth and shareholder gains than on human rights and ecological sustainability. As a consequence of this pervasive attitude, the natural world, with all of its complex associations and diverse ecosystems, is unraveling under the ravenous, "resource-eating" frenzy of globalization. The abuse of water, especially by the most prosperous segments of society, reflects the cavalier and irreverent attitude that humanity has towards water. Water, that universal ingredient for life itself, has become the latest victim to suffer from the unbalanced, unsustainable economic model of infinite growth.

What this seems to say is that we need to be more vigilant about our water supply and to push for higher water quality and water policy standards.

Iowa: Field of Dreams, But Don't Drink the Water

Also from the DI

"Cutting the [University of Iowa] UI campus in half, the brownish, green-tinged Iowa River is a mess of pollutants, ranging from fish-killing nitrates to fecal bacteria, and it more closely resembles Willy Wonka's river of chocolate than a major source of fresh water for the state.

The Iowa River also has been declared one of the most endangered rivers in the nation by American Rivers, ranked third behind the Sante Fe River in New Mexico and the San Mateo Creek in California in a report released Tuesday by the environmental group."

"For years, Iowa has lagged behind enforcing the Clean Waters Act," said Healthy Waters Campaign director Katherine Baer of American Rivers. "And here's an opportunity for the state to protect the river."

Yet officials say the state Department of Natural Resources has had trouble addressing the problem, even 10 years later."Large parts of the Clean Water Act don't apply to non-point source pollution, which is the largest contributor to most of the water-quality problems we have on the Iowa River," said Bob Libra, a state geologist with Natural Resources.

Contributors to pollution in the Iowa River run the gamut from inefficient or ineffective sewage-treatment plants in smaller communities to non-point sources of pollution, such as concentrated animal-feeding operations on farmland, which abuts 80 percent of the Iowa River watershed, Libra said.

"[Anti-degradation policies are] such a critical piece of the Clean Water Act that we don't do in Iowa," Heathcote said.
Continued...

Convo for CAFO at State Capital

Next Wednesday, April 11 – Come to Des Moines and Keep the Calls and E-mails Coming...

Rally at Capitol – Lobby Day!

Help Protect Clean Air and Water Bill (H.F. 873) and The Matrix Improvement Bill (S.F. 550)!
For the first time in years, Iowans have a chance to pass legislation that would protect the environment and property values with several new bills before the legislature.

Unfortunately, the CAFO lobby is fighting to derail the democratic rights of Iowa's rural citizens once again and your help is needed to fight the outside influence of corporate cash.

Bring Your Neighbor - Invite a Friend:
Come to the Capitol in Des Moines on Wednesday, April 11 and let your voice be heard by legislators. At this point in the legislative session it's important that your elected officials hear firsthand what their constituents want. Invite anyone you know who may be interested in protecting Iowa's air and water.

Arrive Where and When:
The event will take place in the Capitol Rotunda, 1st floor, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Please plan to begin arriving at 10:00 am in the Capitol cafeteria to receive handouts discussing the bills and a quick tutorial on citizen lobbying. Look for individuals wearing NAME TAG STICKERS in support of H.F. 873 and S.F. 550.

Afternoon Events:
Many organizations will have displays and materials set up, and we may have a press conference and/or rally that afternoon in the rotunda. (Details to be Determined).

RSVPs are appreciated and can be email to:
CleanIowaAirandWater@gmail.com

What We Are Supporting:
House File 873 (Kuhn / Frevert Bill) – Otherwise known as the Clean Air and Clear Water Bill, this proposed piece of legislation would offer confinement neighbors and the environment additional protection.

H.F. 873 would:
1. Increase separation distances between new CAFOs and residences, churches, cities, lakes and tourism destinations.
2. Require all counties to use the Master Matrix to evaluate new CAFO applications.
3. Require manure to be applied farther away from waterways, homes, schools and churches, etc.
4. Ban the spreading of manure on frozen ground or snow.

Senate File 550 (The Matrix Improvement Bill) – This bill will give a voice to elected county officials in the permitting process of new confinements.

S.F. 550 would:
1. Require all counties to adopt the Master Matrix.
2. Give all county board of supervisors the authority to approve or disapprove a construction permit for a new CAFO.
3. Require county board of supervisors to appoint five persons to a construction evaluation committee, including: a. soil and water commissioner, b. a real estate broker, c. a city resident, d. a livestock operator, e. a county environmental health office.
4. Allow a board of supervisors to accept the construction evaluation committee's recommendation.
5. Allow the DNR, the applicant and the board of supervisors to each appeal a decision.

Why We Support These Bills:
Each of these bills is important and would offer additional protection for Iowa's rural citizens and keep Iowa's air and water clean. Farm Bureau and industry lobbyists are trying to scare farmers by making alarmist claims about how these common sense pieces of legislation would drive the livestock business out of Iowa. The opposite is true. Responsible legislation would allow for the responsible expansion of livestock in Iowa.

Updates on CAFOs and House File 873:

1. H.F. 873 is still under consideration in the Iowa House. More information about H.F. 873 is at http://www.legislativealert-ia.net.

2. S.F. 550 is under consideration in the Iowa Senate also.

2. A few weeks ago, 10,000 gallons of manure were released into Chariton Creek in SW Iowa from a factory farm. http://www.iowadnr.com/news/07mar/clarke.html .

3. Four Environmental Protection Commissioners had their last day on the commission on April 3. A Des Moines Register article titled " Replaced appointee blasts Culver" can be found at http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070404/NEWS/704040360/1001/NEWS A blog covering this issue is at http://ruralpopulist.org/2007/04/04/fired-for-doing-his-job/

4. Whether or not you're coming to Des Moines: Call or email your legislators or the Governor, even if you're already done so already… contact them again!

THE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD NUMBER IS (515) 281-3221

THE SENATE SWITCHBOARD NUMBER IS (515) 281-3371
If you can't get through to the House or Senate, please leave a short message.

Contact GOVERNOR CULVER'S OFFICE (515) 281-5211

Call or Email Leadership: Pat.Murphy@legis.state.ia.us michael.gronstal@legis.state.ia.us

Find Your Legislator and their email address by visiting www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg

You're Not Alone…. Organizations supporting HF 873:

Iowa Farmers Union
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
I'M For Iowa
Iowa Citizen Action Network (ICAN)
Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church
Environmental Reclamation & Recycling
Cleanupiowa.org
1000 Friends of Iowa
Iowa State Association of Counties
Iowa Network for Local Control
Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards
League of Women Voters of Iowa
Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter
Iowa Environmental Council
Environment Iowa
….And many more!

Helping return basic democratic rights to all Iowans…

No Shortage of Misery

The holiday season serves to remind us of the importance our friends and family, our well-being and relative comfort in the world. However, it also serves to remind us to serve those whose circumstances are much more dire, whether around the corner from us or half way around the world. I want to take a moment to reflect on some tragic situations here and abroad and encourage all of us to reflect on these words by 1950's British Parliment member, Henry Usborne: "the price of peace is justice," not dollars or power as most Americans seem to think."

1) Homelessness . Over a five-year period, about 2–3 percent of the U.S. population (5–8 million people) will experience at least one night of homelessness. Single men constitute about sixty percent of the homeless population, families constitute about one third of all homeless and are the fastest-growing group of homeless. Although about seventy percent of the homeless live in central cities, rural homelessness is a hidden problem. The rural homeless are more likely to be families that are homeless for shorter periods of time, often as a result of domestic violence (Singleton et al.*). One of the hardest groups to reach, however, is the one fourth of homeless who have been homeless for at least five years (Burt*).

2) War. Our war on terror in Iraq has resulted in (According to the DOD) 2950 of our soldiers killed and 22, 401 wounded. At least 50,998 Iraqi citizens have been killed. Across the globe, an additional 353 US soldiers have died and 1072 more injured. In Darfur, Sudan, more than 200,000 people have died. In Palestine and Israel, 4,398 Palestinians and 1,084 Israelis have been killed since September 29, 2000.

3) Hunger. 852 million people across the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago. Every day, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds. 13.5 million households in the United States (11.9% of all households) were food insecure in 2004, of which 4.4 million (3.9% of all U.S. households) had experienced hunger at some point in that year. The food insecure households contained an estimated 38 million people, of whom almost 14 million were children. The existence of large numbers of people without secure access to adequate nutritious food represents a serious national concern.

4) Global warming. 2005 was hottest year on record(tied with 1998), according to NASA. 100 billion dollars of damage were caused by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 alone, according to the National Climatic Data Center. 400,000 Square miles of Arctic sea ice that have melted in the last 30 years (roughly the size of Texas), threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide, according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. 15 to 37% of plant and animal species could be wiped out by 2050 due to global warming. The United States is the #1 global warming polluter compared to other large nations.

5) AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. 30 million people in Africa have HIV - this is 70% of global infections. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are currently 4.1 million people with AIDS who are in immediate need of life-saving anti-retroviral drugs. 15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom). Every day in Africa, 6,500 people die and another 9,500 contract the HIV virus - 1,400 of whom are newborn babies infected during childbirth or by their mothers' milk. Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Someone in the world is newly infected with tuberculosis bacilli every second.

6) Access to clean water supplies. Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%. 1.4 million die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

I know that these problems can not be solved at once, but do require us to be constant gardeners. We must encourage our elected leaders to be strategic in what they do, but we also need to raise hell for those who are already living there.