Today our Clean Up MidAm coalition partners at the Iowa Environmental Council released a new report, “Coal in Siouxland: MidAmerican Energy’s Legacy of Air Pollution and Health Impacts” written by Cody Smith. MidAmerican Energy operates two coal plants in Sioux City in Woodbury County: George Neal North and George Neal South. You can read the complete report and/or the executive summary below.
This report highlights what we already know: MidAmerican Energy’s coal plants are harming everyday Iowans and Nebraskans. The health impacts are humbling and should serve as a call to action for MidAmerican to shutdown their coal plants in Sioux City and create a process for a just energy transition in the community. Iowa IPL believes in the dignity and worth of all, and that we must fight to ensure the health of the planet and future generations.
It’s time to shut down coal plants in Iowa, beginning with the Sioux City plants. Here are a few highlights from the report:
Impact Beyond Sioux City
Beyond impacting the community of Sioux City, the George Neal plants are impacting the area around them. This study took the time to analyze wind patterns and discovered that communities in the northwest and southeast, such as Dakota City, NE, Sloan, IA, and the Winnebago Reservation, are bearing the burden of pollution from the smokestacks of the Neal plants.
Woodbury County Leads Iowa with the Highest Rates of Asthma
It is important to address the disproportionate health disparities seen within coal plant communities. The study observes the highest prevalence of asthma among adults aged 18 and older in Woodbury county, as well as exceeding the state average across multiple age groups in emergency room visits related to asthma.
Lung Cancer Rates High
For two years in a row, Iowa was ranked second in the highest number of cancer rates in our country. This study has found that Iowa exceeds the national average for lung cancer rates, and that rates are higher in the areas downwind from the coal plants. We should be working to reduce cancer rates in our state and not continue perpetuating known negative factors.
Inequities in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Rates
Between 2016 and 2020, Indigenous Americans, who constitute merely 1.6% of Nebraska’s population, accounted for 13.6% of COPD cases. The report states, “The World Health Organization attributes about 25% of COPD deaths to outdoor air pollution.” The two Sioux City coal plants are causing disproportionate health impacts on Indigenous communities, specifically the Winnebago Reservation, which is located downwind from the coal plants.
Conclusion
The report highlights coronary heart disease impacts, premature deaths, what chemicals come from the coal plants, the economic and health impacts that disproportionately affect communities that have been historically pushed to the margins, and more. It’s a sobering report. These are all reasons why Iowa IPL believes that it’s MidAmerican Energy’s moral obligation to move beyond coal. It’s time for MidAmerican Energy to shutdown their six Iowa coal plants by 2030; for the health of Iowans impacted in this study and future generations.
We move forward with hope and seek climate justice led by those most impacted in our state. Please join Iowa IPL and learn more about Clean Up MidAm at cleanupmidam.com.