ABOUT US
A Broad Coalition of Organizations Fighting to
Protect our Health and Wallets!
MidAmerican Energy is running one of the largest coal fleets in the country. As these outdated, expensive plants burn coal across the state, Iowans are stuck with higher electric bills and dangerous pollution in our air and water. MidAmerican knows this, but have yet to announce any plans to close these plants and fully transition to clean energy.
The Clean Up MidAm campaign was started on March 30, 2022 by a coalition of organizations and concerned Iowans. Since then, our campaign has hosted listening sessions, rallies, petition drives, and visibility events across the state.
THE COST OF COAL
The Financial Cost of MidAmerican's Coal
SKYROCKETING COSTS, PAID BY IOWANS
$49,700,000+
Excess Costs from
Iowa Coal Plants
3500,000
Number of people impacted
Continuing to burn coal at MidAmerican’s outdated coal plants is costing Iowans millions of dollars. A recent study found that clean energy is cheaper than coal, and other utility companies have proactively decided to close their coal plants and save their customers money. Another study found that Iowans paid $49.7 million in excess costs from MidAmerican’s coal plants.
But instead of harvesting more of Iowa’s natural resources like the sun, MidAmerican is using our money to import fossil fuel resources from other states, leading to unpredictable prices on our electric bills.
MidAmerican's coal plants are also causing serious harm to our agriculture industry. More than two-thirds of Iowa counties experience annual corn production losses ranging from 66 to 350 million bushels due to the continued operation of the MidAmerican coal plants, costing Iowa businesses hundreds of millions of dollars. Coal kills corn, and MidAmerican's corporate greed is hurting Iowa farms and the 315,000 people they employ in our state.
THE COST OF COAL
The Health Cost of MidAmerican's Coal
RISING ASTHMA RATES, WATER QUALITY ISSUES
1 in 5
Siouxland residents have asthma
60 Liter
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Every year, pollution from MidAmerican's coal plants results in 90 premature deaths and increases our collective health care costs by more than $140 million.
MidAmerican's decision to continue burning coal across Iowa is having serious health impacts, particularly in communities that live near the plants. In fact, living near coal-fired power plants is linked to higher rates of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and cancer, and premature death.
MidAmerican's coal pollution is in the water, too. Coal ash ponds seep into the ground, and now MidAmerican wants to dump contaminated water directly into the Missouri River. Iowa families are shouldering all of the dangers of breathing coal pollution, while MidAmerican's out-of-state investors rake in the profits. Their reckless decision to put profits ahead of our health is killing us.
THE COST OF COAL
The Climate Cost of MidAmerican's Coal
COAL CONTRIBUTES TO EXTREME WEATHER
20%+
Insurance Rate Increases
85%
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The climate cost of MidAmerican's coal
The consequences of climate change are dire, including drought, extreme weather, and more. Here in Iowa, we saw firsthand what the future may look like if we don't take serious steps to mitigate climate change. In 2020, a "derecho" left more than 400,000 people without power, destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of crops, and led to billions of dollars of damages.
Now, many Iowans are facing skyrocketing insurance rates for their homes and cars. In some cases, insurance companies are dropping Iowans entirely, leaving families without any insurance at all.
But instead of taking decisive action to protect Iowa's future, MidAmerican is refusing to make the commonsense decision to shut down these dangerous coal plants. Iowa hasn't even had an active coal mine in nearly 30 years, which means MidAmerican is using our money to pay out-of-state companies to mine coal in places like Wyoming and Montana. The coal is then shipped to Iowa on freight trains, adding to the climate costs.
WHY US
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COMPANY
The Numbers
247
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5
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326
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$200m
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COLLABORATION
Our Industry Partners
Yes! Clean energy is very reliable. Wind and solar power are generated locally, and when used with battery storage, can sustain all of our electricity needs without producing harmful emissions.
Coal is extremely harmful to our health. The pollution created from burning coal leads to lung conditions like bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also leads to heart conditions like heart attacks, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure, and brain and nervous system conditions like strokes and loss of intelligence.
Yes, they do! MidAmerican has proven that clean energy is affordable and reliable. Now, they need to fully transition away from burning coal, which is not affordable and has serious impacts on our health, land, and water.
We believe that there must be a Just Transition for coal communities, ensuring that many of the jobs and financial benefits of transitioning to clean energy go to the communities that have been impacted the most by coal. Iowa already has more than 30,000 clean energy jobs, and that number will continue to grow in the coming years.