Iowa Global Warming

One word – WOW! Right now I’m winding down from the first ‘Iowa Activist Evening’, a gathering of Iowans interested in creating momentum for positive change on global warming related issues; specifically energy production and use and creating a modern transportation system. The attendees included a number of ‘average Iowans’, as well as college students, renewable energy advocates, committed longtime environmentalists and people whose lives will be directly impacted by the proposed coal plant in Marshalltown. Just shy of 40 people total, a pretty impressive turnout for a week’s work.

The consensus? That there is a strong desire to ‘plug in’ and be involved in real, concrete efforts to better our lives and world. That we have the ability to make change in our communities. And that ideas are great, but action on those ideas is crucial. As far as I can tell from the signup sheets, almost every attendee committed to being involved in one of the ‘teams’ – energy, rail/transportation, campus organizing or producing public comment on the coal proposal. In a decade of political and issue organizing, I’ve never seen this high a level of engagement. Which should lead to a lot of action… which, as I think about it, makes me excited. And even more exhausted. I need a good night’s sleep. And then I need to get back to everyone in attendance; we’ve got a lot to do together!

Thanks to all the participants and the groups involved in making tonight happen. ELPC, Sierra Student Coalition, Iowa Interfaith and the Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter all deserve credit for partnering to create tonight’s success. Special thanks also to Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) for bringing students in – you’re a great group and we’re really excited to work with you.

If you couldn’t make it, we want to get you involved; and I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at asnow@elpc.org.

Andrew

Juliana Williams, the Sierra Student Coalition’s Midwest Organizer and a partner at the Iowa Global Warming Campaign’s office, made a great post about passenger rail service in the midwest last week at the blog “It’s Getting Hot in Here.” As Juliana says, “Rail has broad support, is a significant improvement in the ease of travel and will save countless vehicle miles traveled (well, you probably could count them, but it would keep you very busy).” We think she’s right “on track” with this stuff.

Read the post here

Columbus, Ohio is eyeing the $11 Billion earmarked for passenger rail in the stimulus bill and busy planning a line that would connect Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland as soon as 2010. Columbus is currently the largest city in the country without passenger rail.

The service, which will simplify the travel process and greatly reduce travel time and costs, is also expected to bring millions to the tourism industry. Stu Nicholson, with the Ohio Rail Development Commission, estimates that the new line could bring “about 800 million dollars a year” through increases in tourism alone.

Infrastructure improvements like this are sure-fire ways to create jobs and give a leg-up to the midwestern economy. The mayor of Columbus, Michael Coleman, added, “Those cities that don’t focus in on alternative forms of transportation are those cities that will fall behind.”

Read more here

Washington, D.C.: Governor Doyle (Wis.) spoke to congress today about Wisconsin’s share of the proposed $825 billion dollar bail-out plan and the importance of supporting passenger rail with those funds. Wisconsin, which hopes to receive $2.5 billion for general purposes and another $500 million specifically for transportation, already has more than $137 million in proposed railway construction projects ready to go. For more, read about it here (msnbc), here (wispolitics.com), and here (thetransportpolitic)