Introduction & News
Welcome to the internet home of Plains Justice, a Great Plains public interest law center defending the right to environmental justice and a sustainable economy through community partnerships. Our board of directors represents a broad diversity of professional expertise, cultural backgrounds and geographical distribution. We seek to make every voice heard when decisions are made that affect our air, our water, our land, and our lives.
August 4, 2008: What would you say to inspire the next president and Congress to take bold action on climate change? Upload your video and win $3000!
August 1, 2008: Plains Justice welcomes new staff attorney Paul Blackburn to head up our work in the Dakotas and Nebraska.
Paul is an experienced legal advocate and campaigner who will support local communities on the Great Plains in their energy and environmental struggles. See the Staff listing on our “About Us” page for more information.
June 25, 2008: Our Second Quarter 2008 Newsletter is now available.
June 17, 2008: Plains Justice Moves to Temporary Office at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa
Until we’re able to use our Cedar Rapids office again, Plains Justice staff will be in the Armstrong Building at Cornell College, about 20 miles east. Cornell has generously opened its doors to us, providing computers, phones and an air-conditioned space to work. We are tremendously grateful to Cornell and to everyone who has given and offered help while we’re displaced by the flood. Thank you!
June 13, 2008: Plains Justice Files Appeal on Coal Plant Zoning Decision on Behalf of Local Residents
Representing local grassroots group Community Energy Solutions and two landowners adjacent to a proposed coal plant in Waterloo, Iowa, Plains Justice filed a lawsuit in Black Hawk County District Court. The petition asks the court to set aside the Waterloo City Council’s rezoning decision for failure to observe legal planning requirements and failure to honor procedural safeguards for non-consenting landowners.
June 11, 2008: Plains Justice Evacuated from Cedar Rapids Office
On Wednesday June 11, Plains Justice staff evacuated from our office at 100 First Street Southwest on the banks of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The river jumped its banks and began to flow through the downtown, heading toward a crest on Saturday of 32 feet above normal, 12 feet higher than the previous record set in 1929. The waters inundated most of the first floor of our two story office building and large portions of the city, sweeping away at least two historic bridges. Along with 25,000 other refugees, our staff gathered up what we could in an afternoon and took off for higher ground. Over nine square miles are flooded. Property damage is estimated at over $700 million. Only one city well is functioning properly and residents have been asked to use tap water for drinking only. The county has been declared a federal disaster area.
Fortunately our office is on the second floor and stayed dry. Our phones, internet and server are down. We may be able to get into the building early this week to check out the damage and collect whatever we can carry. Until the building has been cleaned out and electricity restored, we’ll be in temporary office space along with most other downtown businesses. We’ll also be participating in the massive cleanup effort that will happen after the floodwaters recede, so please be patient if we’re getting things done a little more slowly than usual. We’re all here, we’re safe, and we’ll be back at full strength before you know it.
May 2008: Plains Justice Has a New Clean Air Act Attorney!
As we tackle the unprecedented challenge of global warming, strong enforcement of existing air quality laws becomes critically important. Our new staff attorney, Nicole Shalla, is tackling this highly technical area of environmental law, pursuing enforcement actions against the worst sources of air pollution and pushing for tight permit limits on all polluters. Nicole is a graduate of Iowa State University and the University of South Dakota Law School.
April 2008: Plains Justice Has a New Dakotas Attorney
Plains Justice has hired Paul Blackburn as our new Dakotas staff attorney. Paul will be working out of a Bismark, North Dakota office.
March 30, 2008: Our 1st Quarter 2008 Newsletter is now available.
February 2008: Policy Planks from Iowa Environmental Caucuses
The 2007 Iowa Environmental Caucuses have been a huge success. This non-partisan effort gathered people together from across the state and political spectrum to foster a critical discussion about the best way to address the environmental issues that matter most to our citizens.
One concrete result of these discussions is that the staff at Plains Justice has digested these ideas and concerns into a series of platform planks that people can submit at their caucuses this January and at the county conventions in March. Click here for the full list of caucus planks.
Caucuses were held in Waterloo, two sites in Cedar Falls, Jesup, Cedar Rapids, Fairfield, Iowa City, Eldridge, Dubuque, Decorah, Davenport, Sioux City, Mapleton, Ames, and Des Moines.
See video from Plains Justice’s Iowa City Environmental Caucus
January 2008: IOWA SURVEY: COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT FREEZE FAVORED BY TWO-THIRDS OF MOST LIKELY CAUCUS GOERS, OTHER STATE RESIDENTS
Echoing Coal Roll Backs in KS and FL, 4 Out of 5 State Residents Favor More Energy Conservation Over New Coal-Fired Plants; Groups Call on Gov. Culver to Lead the Way.
Sending a clear message to state officials and presidential candidates, nearly four out of five Iowans (79 percent) –- including 69 percent of Republicans, 86 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of Independents – think that “Iowa should focus on increased (energy) conservation steps and more fuel efficiency to reduce demand for electricity before it constructs new coal-fired power plants,” according to a major new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey commissioned by Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, Iowa Farmers Union and Plains Justice.
Click here for more information.
Important: To take action on Iowa coal plant proposals, go to our Resources page for information.
November 2007: Plains Justice Iowa Coal Combustion Waste Disposal Report Released
On November 5, 2007, Plains Justice released its first major report, a 35-page study of Iowa’s regulation of coal combustion waste. This heavy metal-laden waste stream is around half the size of the total U.S. municipal waste stream annually. For the last 27 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to regulate this hazardous waste at the federal level, in spite of directives from Congress and urgings from the National Academies of Science. Iowa waters are at significant risk for contamination due to loose state regulation. Quick action by Iowa regulators is needed to protect public health and the environment.
October 2007: Plains Justice Files Testimony by National Experts in Opposition to Marshalltown, Iowa Coal Plant Proposal
Dr. James Hansen, noted climate scientist and international voice for global warming solutions, grew up in Denison, Iowa and is testifying for the first time in such a case. Hansen and experts Dr. Neil Harl, Professor Emeritus of Agriculture and Economics at Iowa State University; Tom Sanzillo, former First Deputy Comptroller for the State of New York; and Dr. Kristen Welker-Hood, Director of Environmental and Health Programs for Physicians for Social Responsibility, filed direct testimony and appeared at the IUB public hearing in January as witnesses for the coalition. Plains Justice attorneys Carrie La Seur of Mount Vernon and Jana Linderman of Cedar Rapids are representing Community Energy Solutions, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Renewable Energy Association and the Iowa chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
See our petition and expert testimony.
Recent Events
On January 24, 2008, Plains Justice President Carrie La Seur gave a presentation titled “A Neighbor’s Guide to Coal” to a meeting of the Badlands Area Resource Council in Dickinson, North Dakota. BARC invited La Seur to advise them on a proposal by Great Northern Power Development to build a 500MW lignite coal gasification plant and an adjacent lignite mine near South Heart, in southwestern North Dakota. La Seur explained the applicable law, permitting processes, and how affected residents can get involved, then took questions directly from the group. Most concerns centered on water use and the extent of the proposed mining at South Heart, 15 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
From January 14 to January 18, 2008, Plains Justice attorneys Carrie La Seur and Jana Linderman represented a coalition of Iowa nonprofits opposing the proposed Marshalltown, Iowa coal plant in an administrative hearing before the Iowa Utilities Board. Expert witnesses for the coalition and for the state Office of Consumer Advocate testified that the proposed plant will ultimately cost ratepayers more than alternatives and is not needed to meet reasonable demand projections. Public events on January 16 and 17 in Des Moines and Iowa City gave Iowans beyond Marshalltown the chance to hear our expert witnesses speak and take questions. Many thanks to volunteer Dawn Suter of Iowa City who coordinated these events!
On November 27 and 28, 2007, Plains Justice attorney Jana Linderman appeared before the North Dakota Public Service Commission representing eastern ND landowners whose land and water are threatened by the proposed Keystone pipeline. The pipeline would stretch nearly 2000 miles from the tar sands of northern Alberta across the central United States. The ecological, agricultural, and global warming impacts of this pipeline and the resulting greenhouse gas-intensive fuel source would be felt at local, regional, and global levels. Plains Justice is challenging the inadequate Environmental Impact Statement, demanding better analysis and increased public participation as the foreign corporation proposing the pipeline pushes for the fastest possible review process.
