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DNR: Deadly deer disease shows ‘exponential growth’ in Iowa
A fatal neurological disease that affects whitetail deer has become a statewide concern and is poised to rapidly become a bigger threat in parts of Iowa. That’s because chronic wasting disease has been increasingly detected in central Iowa — far away from known hotbeds of infections — and because about 10 years have lapsed since […]
North Dakota denies Summit Carbon a pipeline permit
Summit Carbon Solutions has failed to minimize the negative impacts of its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in North Dakota and will not be permitted to construct it, state regulators decided on Friday. The state is a key part of the company’s $5 billion project, which would span more than 2,000 miles in five states, including […]
Fontanelle searches for cause of 500,000-gallon wastewater overflow
About a half-million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled from Fontanelle’s sewer system this week amid unrelenting rainfall, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Wastewater from the southwest Iowa town went into a nearby creek that flows into the Middle Nodaway River starting about 2:50 a.m. Aug. 2 and didn’t cease until the rain […]
Drought worsens in eastern Iowa
Dryness in Iowa intensified for the second straight week, marked by worsening drought in a large area of the eastern part of the state. All or parts of 18 counties are newly designated as having severe drought, the second of four increasingly dry classifications issued by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Its Thursday report showed minor […]
DNR imposes new requirements on water utility near dry river
State regulators have finalized new requirements for a northwest Iowa water utility to prevent the Ocheyedan River from running dry, despite objections from the utility. A two-mile stretch of the river near May City went dry last year, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources determined that the Osceola County Rural Water System was partly […]
Navigator wants carbon dioxide pipeline hearing in June 2024
The second company to propose an expansive pipeline system in Iowa to transport carbon dioxide seeks a final permit hearing next summer and a decision by state regulators in early October 2024. Navigator CO2 Ventures recently filed a motion with the Iowa Utilities Board to set a procedural schedule that will guide the remainder of […]
Hot week depresses Iowa crops and pastures
A streak of abnormally hot and dry weather last week led to declines in the conditions of Iowa’s corn and soybean crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The weather conditions also stifled pastures used for feeding livestock. Less than a quarter of the state’s pasture land is in good or excellent condition. “Some […]
Manure handlers fined for spills during transport
A northwest Iowa commercial manure service was recently fined $8,000 for repeatedly spilling hog fecal matter along a highway during transport, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Kunkel Express, of Merrill, was hired last year by a hog confinement operator near Farragut in southwest Iowa to remove manure from the facility and apply […]
Regulators deny Steve King’s request to participate in pipeline hearing
A former northwest Iowa congressman who has recently spoken out against the use of eminent domain to build carbon dioxide pipelines will be excluded from participating in an upcoming permit hearing as an “intervenor,” according to the Iowa Utilities Board. Former Congressman Steve King, a Kiron Republican, is among dozens of people who petitioned to […]
State fines farmers co-op for air quality violations
A north-central Iowa farmers cooperative site is facing a $6,000 fine for violations related to air quality, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The NEW Cooperative site in Duncombe increased its storage capacity to more than 2.5 million bushels in 2019, which reclassified it as a grain terminal elevator and triggered new emissions […]
Trump claims election investigations are themselves ‘election interference’
Former President Donald Trump — who might face criminal charges for attempting to interfere with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election — claimed Tuesday afternoon in Iowa that he is the victim of election interference by federal prosecutors. Trump announced earlier Tuesday he has received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith saying he […]
Corn and soybeans rebound with increasing rainfall
Iowa’s corn and soybean crops were buoyed last week by above-normal rainfall and are now in their best shape since the middle of June, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday. About 64% of the state’s corn crop is rated good or excellent, up from a low this growing season of 56% […]