The Iowa Department of Natural Resources opened up the requisite thirty-day public comment period for a pending permit to construct a new coal power plant in Marshalltown monday. The current deadline is March 20th, but environmentalists are pushing to have that extended to late May.

Central to the arguments against the plant is the state’s refusal to issue permits regulating fine particles and carbon dioxide. Fine particulate matter is a serious health concern, and carbon dioxide, previously not considerable for regulation under Bush-era policies, is currently being reconsidered by the EPA.

The negative health effects of coal are particularly troubling when considering that more than 500,000 children live within 30 miles of Iowa’s coal power plants.

“Iowa should be doing everything it can to reduce its existing pollution, not allowing another massive and dirty source of harmful soot and smog,” said Pam Mackey-Taylor, who follows energy issues for Sierra.

Read more here

See which public comment meetings are happening near you here

Or, send your thoughts to:

Dave Phelps, Supervisor
Construction Permits Section
Air Quality Bureau
7900 Hickman Road, Suite 1
Urbandale, IA 50322
FAX: (515) 242-5094
Email: dave.phelps@dnr.iowa.gov