(Radio Iowa) – Environmental groups and experts say a new study shows serious health issues surrounding two coal-fired plants operated by MidAmerican Energy in northwest Iowa just south of Sioux City. Josh Mandelbaum of the Environmental Law and Policy Center says “We know that these plants are massive carbon polluters. They’re impacting the climate, but on a local level, they are having an immediate and significant impact on the health of the communities surrounding these plants,” Mandelbaum says.

The study released by the Iowa Environmental Council says from 1999 to 2020, pollution from the plants caused 165 premature deaths in the region and 14-hundred overall. And it shows higher rates of asthma, C-O-P-D, and heart disease. Environmental Council Senior Policy Advocate Cody Smith. “We hope that our report is a wake-up call for the leadership of Mid-American Energy and that they act swiftly to become the responsible corporate neighbor they claim to be,” Smith says.

Smith and others who took part in a virtual news conference (Tuesday morning) say the public deserves better. They say lower-income and people of color are at the highest risk of health issues. A spokesperson for MidAmerican Energy says the company plans to phase out coal-fired plants by the year 2050.