Iowa's Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Impacts, TR-593, 2010

The federal government is aggressively promoting biofuels as an answer to global climate change and dependence on imported sources of energy. Iowa has quickly become a leader in the bioeconomy and wind energy production, but meeting the United States Department of Energy’s goal having 20% of U.S. transportation fuels come from biologically based sources by 2030 will require a dramatic increase in ethanol and biodiesel production and distribution. At the same time, much of Iowa’s rural transportation infrastructure is near or beyond its original design life. As Iowa’s rural roadway structures, pavements, and unpaved roadways become structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, public sector maintenance and rehabilitation costs rapidly increase. More importantly, costs to move all farm products will rapidly increase if infrastructure components are allowed to fail; longer hauls, slower turnaround times, and smaller loads result. When these results occur on a large scale, Iowa will start to lose its economic competitive edge in the rapidly developing bioeconomy. The primary objective of this study was to document the current physical and fiscal impacts of Iowa’s existing biofuels and wind power industries. A four-county cluster in north-central Iowa and a two-county cluster in southeast Iowa were identified through a local agency survey as having a large number of diverse facilities and were selected for the traffic and physical impact analysis. The research team investigated the large truck traffic patterns on Iowa’s secondary and local roads from 2002 to 2008 and associated those with the pavement condition and county maintenance expenditures. The impacts were quantified to the extent possible and visualized using geographic information system (GIS) tools. In addition, a traffic and fiscal assessment tool was developed to understand the impact of the development of the biofuels on Iowa’s secondary road system. Recommended changes in public policies relating to the local government and to the administration of those policies included standardizing the reporting and format of all county expenditures, conducting regular pavement evaluations on a county’s system, cooperating and communicating with cities (adjacent to a plant site), considering utilization of tax increment financing (TIF) districts as a short-term tool to produce revenues, and considering alternative ways to tax the industry.

Status of Females in the Juvenile Justice System Iowa, 2009

Young women in the juvenile justice system present with characteristics and experiences that differentiate them from their male counterparts. As such, the juvenile justice system in Iowa must consider these factors if it is to effectively and efficiently impact recidivism, rehabilitation and public safety. Data reveal the following trends: All youth in the juvenile justice system experience a significantly higher rate of child maltreatment than do youth in the general population. Additionally, young women have a distinctly higher percentage of reported sexual abuse. Young women commit primarily non-violent offenses, with shoplifting and running away being the only two areas where they exceed young men in number. Young women are held in detention for a substantially higher percentage of misdemeanor versus felony offenses than young men. Young women of color, particularly African American females, are far more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system. Additionally, arrests of minority females have increased during the same time frame as arrests of Caucasian females have decreased. The general type of offense committed by young women is against public order (i.e. alcohol related violations, disorderly conduct) or property (i.e. shoplifting), though young women with subsequent charges of a violent nature are likely to have had violent offenses initially as well. Historically, young women have been a smaller segment of the juvenile justice population. They remain so today. Consequently, they are easy to overlook. But Iowa’s response to them is no less important. Perhaps, because they are fewer in number, our system can have a true and meaningful influence, with prevention of further penetration into both the juvenile and adult systems being the ultimate goal. The Iowa Task Force on Young Women recommends the following measures to facilitate movement toward that goal: 1. Facilities and programs striving to provide the most effective and efficient services to young women will opt for single gender environments with female responsive programming that includes components to address trauma. 2. All institutions and agencies that work with females involved in the juvenile justice system and which receive state funding should be required to provide annual female responsive training to their employees. Training should be research based, progressive, ongoing and result in an implementation plan. 3. As detention reform proceeds, gender and the disproportionate number of females in detention for misdemeanor offenses must be an integral part of policy and decision making discussions including any recommendations for solutions to be implemented. 4. As research, data and planning progresses related to disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile system, the needs of girls of color be given equal consideration. Specifically, assessment tools must be without race/ethnic bias and they must also be female responsive.

Division of Persons with Disabilities Department of Human Rights Strategic Plan, 2002-2005

The Division of Persons with Disabilities exists to promote the employment of Iowans with disabilities and reduce barriers to employment by providing information, referral, assessment and guidance, training, and negotiation services to employers and citizens with disabilities.

Annual Report Of the State Geologist, March 2012

What we do: Since 1892, the Iowa Geological and Water Survey (IGWS) has provided earth, water, and mapping science to all Iowans. We collect and interpret information on subsurface geologic conditions, groundwater and surface water quantity and quality, and the natural and built features of our landscape. This information is critical for: Predicting the future availability of economic water supplies and mineral resources. Assuring proper function of waste disposal facilities. Delineation of geologic hazards that may jeopardize property and public safety. Assessing trends and providing protection of water quality and soil resources. Applied technical assistance for economic development and environmental stewardship. Our goal: Providing the tools for good decision making to assure the long-term vitality of Iowa’s communities, businesses, and quality of life. Information and technical assistance are provided through web-based databases, comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, predictive groundwater models, and watershed assessments and improvement grants. The key service we provide is direct assistance from our technical staff, working with Iowans to overcome real-world challenges. This report describes the basic functions of IGWS program areas and highlights major activities and accomplishments during calendar year 2011. More information on IGWS is available at http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/.

Iowa Fen Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands v. 1 Quantitative Rating, 2016

Rapid assessment methods are valuable tools for collecting information about the quality and status of natural systems. However, they are not a substitute for detailed surveys of those systems. Users of this method should consider that the method may under-score or over-score the site that’s assessed, especially when the site is not a typical fen (i.e. a sedge meadow could score lower than fens, but in-fact be a relatively high quality sedge meadow). This assessment can be used throughout most of the spring, summer and fall period, however the ideal “index period” would be from late May through early October when native plant communities, as well as invasive species, are most apparent.