Category: Environmental Forum - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Let's tall data centers-PACG event

8/3/2026

Let's talk data centers
Tuesday, August 18th from 6 to 8 pm

Martin Luther King Jr Community Center
630 9th ST
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Join this free interactive event to discuss data centers. Find out how they can impact our water, power, and communities, and learn potential solutions that can be put in place to protect our communities. For more information and registration, scan the QR code or click here.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Protecting the Boundary Waters-Of Interest to Our Community

7/24/2026

Fighting the Forces of Greed and Destruction
In April, Senate Republicans withdrew a moratorium on mining in the Boundary Waters. Minnesotans are fighting back.

Environmental Forum

The Progressive Magazine

Read this important article by Ruth Conniff about what Minnesotans are doing to protect the beloved Boundary Waters:
...it was a gut punch to see the U.S. Senate decide by one vote to overturn federal protections against toxic mining in the Superior National Forest, right on the edge of the Boundary Waters, this spring...The proposed copper-nickel sulfide mine would, environmentalists say, inevitably leak sulfuric acid into the interconnected waterways of the region, with devastating effects.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

August Green Drinks "How to respond to climate change" PACG event

7/15/2026

August Green Drinks - How to respond to climate change
Thursday, August 6th at 5 pm (hybrid meeting)

MLK Interpretive Center
501 N Brady ST
Davenport, IA (map)

Environmental Forum

Join us on Thursday, August 6 at 5 pm at the MLK Interpretive Center. Ray Wolf will explain how we can respond to climate change. He is a retired Science and Operations Officer for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) National Weather Service in Davenport.

This will be a hybrid meeting. If you would like to attend virtually, you can register for a Zoom link by scanning the QR code on the flyer, or by going to this link.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Plastic Free July 2026-What You Can Do Now

7/1/2026

Be part of the Plastic Pollution Solution
Plastic Free July™

Environmental Forum

Plastic pollution impacts the environment, wildlife and human health. Our everyday choices can be part of the solution to this global problem and make the world a cleaner place.

Join the global Plastic Free July™ movement and pledge to refuse single-use plastic. Go to this link to make your pledge.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Pesticide damage to oak savana-Of Interest to Our Community

6/20/2026

Pesticides ‘shatter’ leaves of Iowa’s state tree
A conservationist’s 20-year quest to address pesticide damage in his oak savanna

Iowa Capital Dispatch

Environmental Forum

photo courtesy of Tony Singh

By Tom Foley

In 1996, Tony Singh began rewilding a plot of land in LeClaire, hoping to restore its oak savanna, native prairie, woodlands and wetlands.

Less than five years later, he noticed the leaves on his oak trees were in tatters.
“When the leaf is coming out, if it is natural, it’s a beautiful thing,” Singh said. “But then they start spraying this pre-emergent herbicide, and the leaves get completely shattered.”

Over the last 20 years, Singh has been documenting the phenomenon and trying to raise awareness about it. But his 50-acre reserve is surrounded by an industrial agriculture system that is economically entwined with the land he seeks to restore.

In 1996, Tony Singh began rewilding a plot of land in LeClaire, hoping to restore its oak savanna, native prairie, woodlands and wetlands.

Less than five years later, he noticed the leaves on his oak trees were in tatters.
“When the leaf is coming out, if it is natural, it’s a beautiful thing,” Singh said. “But then they start spraying this pre-emergent herbicide, and the leaves get completely shattered.”

Over the last 20 years, Singh has been documenting the phenomenon and trying to raise awareness about it. But his 50-acre reserve is surrounded by an industrial agriculture system that is economically entwined with the land he seeks to restore.
“Acetochlor has been correlated strongly with oak tatters, where the tissue just is missing from the oak leaf, and you just see the veins, or with dicamba, you’ll see cupping and curling,” said Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Program Leader Tivon Feeley. Please read this entire article here.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

July 2026 Green Drinks IL Legislative Update-PACG Events

6/16/2026

July Green Drinks - Illinois Legislative Update
Thursday, July 9 at 5 pm via Zoom

Environmental Forum

Note: Due to the July 4th holiday we have moved this month's Green Drinks to the second Thursday.

Illinois House District 72 Representative Gregg Johnson will join us at our July Green Drinks. He will speak about legislative priorities and can bring concerns we have to the legislators.

RSVP for a link to join the meeting by scanning the QR code on the flyer or click here.

This meeting will be recorded. All registrants will receive a link and passcode to access the recording the day after the meeting.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Earth Day is Every Day Fair-After Action Report

5/27/2026

Earth Day is Every Day Fair After Action Report

Environmental Forum

Our 7th Annual Earth Day is Every Day Fair went off without a hitch at the Farmers Market in Davenport. The weather was perfect. All 20 tabling organizations were able to attend. The music was great and everyone had a wonderful time! Thanks to our sponsors, WVIK, Living Lands and Waters, and the Freight House Farmers Market for their support.

Lori McCollum (she/her)

High Iowa cancer rates - Of Interest to Our Community

4/25/2026

Why does Iowa have the second highest cancer rate in the US?

Environmental Forum

Although the cancer rate in the US is declining, Iowa's continues to rise. The Harkin Institute and the Iowa Environmental Council conducted in depth scientific studies and academic research on why the Iowa cancer rate is trending differently from that of other states. The report of the study was released on March 25, 2026 linking environmental risk factors with specific cancer trends.

The report and the executive summary can be accessed by scanning the QR code above labeled "Cancer & Environmental Risk Factors in Iowa." The details of Iowa cancer rates can be accessed from the "2026 Cancer in Iowa Report" or "Cancer Date Resources "QR codes.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

May 2026 Green Drinks on Davenport stormwater problems

4/13/2026

May Green Drinks - Solutions to Northwest Davenport Stormwater Flood and Pollution
Thursday, May 7 at 5 pm

Augustana CollegeHanson Hall of Science, Room 102
Rock Island, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Our May Green Drinks will be on Thursday, May 7 on the campus of Augustana College. The Augie engineering students will present their solutions to the flood and water pollution problem in NW Davenport.

Susan Leuthauser

Opposition to power plant After Action Report

4/12/2026

Opposition to power plant After Action Report
IUC public meeting in Davenport

Concerned Citizens of Scott County

Members of the PACG Environmental Forum have been attending meetings and support this group in their opposition to the Natural Gas Power Plant proposed for Scott County. The following is an update on the meeting.

On Monday, April 6th , the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) held a public informational meeting on the Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) application to build a 240 megawatt peaker natural gas plant just outside Maysville in Scott County’s Hickory Grove Township. Peaker plants are designed to fill in when energy capacity is strained. PACG’s Environmental Forum has been attending meetings of the Scott County Board of Supervisors (BOS), those of the Concerned Citizens of Scott County, a group opposed to this plant, as well as this IUC meeting.

This proposal would place the plant on land zoned for agricultural preservation, and the BOS voted unanimously to deny the permit for the plant to proceed after considerable opposition. CIPCO then asked the IUC to overrule this denial. Approximately 135 people attended the IUC hearing, with comments that were both pro and con. Most of the comments in favor of the plant were about job growth, even though these plants typically employ only 6-7 staff. Local citizens expressed concerns about use of this highly rated agricultural land for industrial purposes They also questioned why CIPSO has an option to acquire 90 acres when the plant would only use about 30, leading to questions about the potential for expansion in the future. A
local firefighter expressed concerns about the potential for “incidents” and the fact that nearby fire departments are staffed by volunteers with inadequate equipment to manage an “incident”. They also failed to report that the closest school is John Glenn, which is within 3 miles of the plant, instead reporting that the closest schools are in Eldridge, about 5 miles away. Some residents expressed concerns about decreased property values after the plant is built.

Other concerns were noted about pollution. CIPCO staff showed graphs that predict minimal levels of pollution. However, one PACG member researched this and found that their modeling was based on 15-year-old data. Current data show that peaker plants emit considerably more pollutants than regular natural gas plants because they come on and off-line intermittently. According to the American Lung Association, the Quad Cities air ranks poorly, 43 rd worse in the nation, especially for particulates, which these plants produce. To learn more, we recommend reading the report from Jonathan Turner on the WVIK website. If you’d like to express your opinion to the IUC you can access their website (https://iuc.iowa.gov), on the docket titled:
Generating Certificate – Scott County, IA, # GCU-2026-0001).

Lori McCollum

Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG)
PO Box 544 Bettendorf, IA 52722
(563) 676-7580
[email protected]
PACG is a 501(c)(3) organization and your donation may be tax deductible.

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