Energy & Environment Articles

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  As the climate changes, what’s in store for Iowa?

  Three decades ago Iowa State University published a cheeky description of an invasive plant that was of no concern to Iowans because it can't flourish this far north. "Imagine a horror movie depicting a plant species that grows everywhere, consuming cars, buildings, and everything in its path," the article by ISU Extension and Outreach said.
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  Iowa Ideas: New policies and funds propel clean energy, sustainable ag

  Energy and environmental issues gradually have risen to mainstream prominence over the last few decades, catapulted by climate change and its wide-ranging impacts. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022, was hailed as the most significant climate legislation in American history. It created about $375 billion in climate incen...
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  Highlights of Iowa Ideas water quality week

  The Gazette’s Iowa Ideas In-depth Week focused on water quality wrapped up Friday, with more than 150 people participating in virtual discussions. Below are some of our favorite quotes from the week. Monday: Water quality policy
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  Where does your drinking water come from?

  Drinking water is harvested from the earth, the sky, the seas. We worry about having enough of it and how to keep it clean, spending millions on infrastructure. But how do Iowans get their drinking water?
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  Can we wait for a ‘new vision’ for water quality?

  When it comes to cleaning up Iowa’s dirty water, do we need to stop the insanity or persuade farmers and landowners to embrace a “new vision” for agriculture? That was the gist of the debate on an Iowa Ideas panel I recently moderated. Chris Jones, IIHR research engineer at the University of Iowa and one of the leading voices and researchers on ...
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  Future utilities will use 100 percent renewable energy. But how soon?

  We all want the lights to turn on when we flip the switch and to have heat when there’s a blizzard and air conditioning during a heat wave. But American utility companies, including those in Iowa, are facing increasing pressure to slash greenhouse gas emissions in hopes of preventing the worst effects of global climate change.
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  University of Iowa increases biofuel acres with miscanthus

  The tall grasses that billow and bend in the wind between Melrose Avenue and the Finkbine Commuter parking lot on Iowa City’s west side not only are beautiful, but they help the University of Iowa toward its goal of going coal free by 2025. Since 2015, the University of Iowa steadily has increased the acres of giant miscanthus, a perennial grass...
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  Call ethanol ‘transitional.’ Just don’t call it dead

  Doug Berven doesn’t mind if the word “transitional” is used to describe ethanol as a fuel — as long as people recognize the transition between gasoline-powered vehicles and an all-electric fleet likely will take some time and ethanol may have a part in the future. “If ethanol is a bridge, it’s a very wide bridge and you can’t see the other side,...
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  Tourists willing to drive farther and spend more for cleaner lakes

  It’s officially summer and many Iowans are hitting the road for their favorite lakeside vacation spots to do some swimming, boating or fishing. But how much does the quality of the water factor into which lake we visit?
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  Iowa Ideas In-Depth Week - Water Quality

  Water is perhaps the most important thing in the world. Life centers on it. Our bodies are three-fourths water. We can't exist without it.