Inside Climate News
MidAmerican energy is an Iowa utility that publicly touts a 100% renewable energy vision, but it also operates one of the largest coal plant fleets in the country. This outdated, expensive, and polluting energy source is harming the economy, the environment, and public health. ELPC is part of a broad coalition of Iowans pushing to Clean Up MidAm.
Every year, pollution from MidAmerican’s coal plants results in 90 premature deaths and increases Iowa’s collective health care costs by more than $140 million. Coal plants contribute to water, air, and climate pollution, which directly affects the communities and agricultural economy of the state. According to a report from the Iowa Environmental Council, more than 2/3 of Iowa counties experience annual corn production losses from 66-360 million bushels, due to coal contamination.
In reality, clean energy is cheaper than coal, and Iowans paid an extra $49.7 million in excess costs from Iowa coal plants. Instead of leaning into home-grown energy from the wind and sun, Iowans are still paying to import coal and gas from neighboring states to burn here, which contributes to unpredictable electric bills. Utilities in many other states are closing their coal plants because the economics are clear. It is time for MidAmerican to do the same.
ELPC, the Sierra Club, and Iowa Environmental Council commissioned a study in 2021 to determine the economic cost of operating MidAmerican’s coal plants. The Synapse Energy economics group found MidAmerican Energy could save Iowans nearly $1.2 billion by retiring its coal plants by 2030 and transitioning renewable energy. We filed that analysis with the Iowa Utilities Commission and fought to ensure that balanced economic evidence couldn’t be excluded from the planning process.
When MidAmerican proposed its massive Wind PRIME project, including 2,042 MW of wind and 50 MW of solar development, ELPC and our colleagues questioned it on two fronts: Where was the analysis to justify this plan and why wasn’t the utility also planning to close its coal plants? MidAmerican’s own internal study reached a similar conclusion. The Iowa Utilities Commission agreed with our coalition, finding that the utility did not demonstrate adequate planning, and solar generation is better situated to meet reliability needs than MidAmerican’s wind/coal fleet. After further proceedings, MidAmerican agreed to a settlement that included a voluntary Resource Evaluation Study to comprehensively look at energy planning.
In October 2024, the Iowa Utilities Commission made a key decision to improve utility transparency in the state by rescinding its outdated Renewable Energy Verification rules. Environmental advocates, including ELPC and the Iowa Environmental Council, welcomed this move, which will prevent utilities from using the IUC to legitimize misleading claims about their renewable energy mix.
ELPC Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum said, “The outdated verification rules allowed MidAmerican to mislead the public about its clean energy mix, claiming 100% renewable energy while operating a large, uneconomic, and polluting coal fleet. By rescinding these rules, the IUC shows its leadership by refusing to give a stamp of approval to MidAmerican’s misleading claims.”
There are six coal plants in Iowa that are owned by MidAmerican Energy and Alliant — four of which are jointly owned with a number of local cooperatives and municipal utilities. In total, the shares owned by these local entities represent about 760 MW of coal power, about the size of a large coal plant.
Many of these local cooperatives and municipal utilities, such as Cedar Falls Utilities, have no plans to invest in cleaner, more affordable alternatives, despite the state of Iowa now generating over 60% of its electricity with renewable energy sources. ELPC advocates for clean energy solutions that enable these communities to divest from MidAmerican’s aging coal fleet and invest in cleaner, safer, home-grown alternatives.
In March 2025, three environmental groups notified Alliant Energy’s Iowa affiliate of their intent to sue to stop unpermitted discharges of polluted groundwater from being pumped out of the Ottumwa coal ash landfill. “This case shows exactly why Iowa must move away from coal and toward clean energy,” says Josh Mandelbaum, ELPC Senior Attorney. “As long as our utilities continue relying on dirty and uneconomic coal, Iowans will pay the price with toxic pollution in our air and drinking water.” MidAmerican Energy, which is the majority owner of the Ottumwa coal plant, assumed that the plant would operate through 2041 in its resource plan. Continued operation of the coal plant will expand the coal ash landfill.
ELPC is a proud member of the Clean Up MidAm campaign, along with organizations including the Iowa Environmental Council, Sierra Club, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa, Iowa Faith & Climate Network, Mom’s Clean Air Force, and countless independent Iowans who care about the future of the state.