CEDAR RAPIDS — But are the turtles smiling? That’s the question from Wally Taylor, the Cedar Rapids environmental attorney who has been seeking to block the long-delayed, $200-million project that will extend Highway 100 from Edgewood Road NE west and south to Highway 30. Both of Taylor’s lawsuits on behalf of the Sierra Club [...]

WINDSOR HEIGHTS – State environmental regulators were blistered Tuesday by organized critics who blasted their inaction in curbing corporate farm pollution and demanded more enforcement of clean air and clean water standards. A dozen members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) took turns berating the state’s Environmental Protection Commission for failing to live up [...]

  Want to know more about climate change, but stumped about where to start? I’d recommend the recently published book “America’s Climate Century: What climate change means for America in the 21st Century and what Americans can do about it,” by Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids. Hogg has been active in environmental issues for a [...]

  By Angi Lawson —- If you were to ask most Iowans what the Iowa bottle bill is about, they would probably answer: It’s about bottles, cans and nickels. Yet, for Unlimited Services Inc., based in Manchester and Guttenberg, and our 45 individuals with varying disabilities, it’s not only a steady job but an incredibly [...]

Representatives of conservation, hunting, wildlife, parks and environmental groups told lawmakers Tuesday Iowa’s natural resources are in such need of upgrading and protecting that the state should boost its sales tax to raise $150 million for that effort. Members of a Senate Natural Resources and Environment subcommittee responded by approving a measure that would increase [...]

  By Quentin Wagenfield —–   A  hotly debated issue in the U.S. Senate receiving little press attention is the Law of the Sea Treaty ratification. The treaty, an international agreement presently ratified by 162 countries, defines rights and responsibilities of countries in the use of oceans, and sets rules for businesses, the environment and [...]

Here’s a lovely Bike to Work Week present: After years of trying, Cedar Rapids has earned the distinction of being one of America’s “bike-friendly” cities. In fact, two Corridor cities were among the 24 newly declared Bicycle Friendly Communities by the League of American Bicyclists this year. University Heights also earned the distinction. They join [...]

    By Stephanie Rose and Nicholas A. Klinefeldt —- Fifty years ago, America was just waking up to the reality of environmental pollution: Rachel Carson had published Silent Spring, raising America’s consciousness about the impact of DDT pesticide use on the environment and public health. In 1969, Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River caught fire due because of [...]