*The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office will be hosting several regional Secretaries of State to discuss election security preparations ahead of the November 5 general election.
That event will be held on Wednesday, October 9, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen is the host, and he will moderate a discussion that includes Jen Easterly, the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Among the secretaries of state who will attend are Monae Johnson of South Dakota.
Easterly last week noted that Americans, who have been swept into the chaotic churn of election disinformation, have distrust that they will be able to feel confident in the outcome.
But she said state and local election officials have made great progress in securing voting, ballot-counting and other election infrastructure. Therefore, there is no way Russia, Iran or any other foreign adversary will be able to alter the results, Easterly said.
*Voting was also a topic of a candidate forum in Sioux City on Monday evening. One nominee for a position that oversees county elections said she would like to end the practice of people having the ability to put early absentee ballots into drop boxes.
Republican Woodbury County Auditor nominee Michelle Skaff said she would like to see ballot drop boxes no longer allowed. Skaff mentioned that in answering a question about election security and the timeline for early voting.
Her opponent, the current Democratic County Auditor Pat Gill, said drop boxes work well. Gill also lamented the trend of Iowa’s laws lessening the time of early voting in the state.
The comments came at a candidate forum hosted by The League of Women Voters and Siouxland GO.
*Additionally, several people told the Sioux City Council on Monday that they have grave concerns about negative health impacts from coal-fired plants operated by MidAmerican Energy south of the city.
They cited a report from this year that found higher rates of heart disease and asthma in the metro area, and raised questions about the two MidAmerican plants in the Port Neal area.
Among those speaking for the Clean Up MidAm Coalition were Renee Weinberg and Catelin Drey. Drey cited the detrimental impacts of fossil fuels on people and the environment, and the group called for more air monitoring.
A few Sioux City Council members replied that the group was raising questions that deserve answers, but no action was taken.
*In related news, small communities can sign up for assistance from the Iowa DNR to test for harmful PFAS chemicals in their drinking water supplies.
PFAS are man-made compounds that have been used to make things like stain-resistant clothing and non-stick cookware. This year the EPA set a legal limit for PFAS, because exposure can lead to developmental effects in children and an increased risk of cancer in adults.
Water systems across the U.S. must begin monitoring for the chemicals. But IDNR environmental specialist Kathy Lee says the analysis is expensive and it’s not something most small towns budgeted for.
“We’re trying to help these communities get their monitoring done in time and paying for it so they’ll have time to plan for the monitoring costs in the future,” Lee said.
The DNR is paying for testing at the State Hygienic Lab and the cost of shipping the water samples.
The program is available to most water utilities serving fewer than 10,000 people. So far, Lee says, around 400 of the more than 700 small water systems that qualify have signed up.
*In other news, the Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday evening in a case involving the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.
Several property owners, lawmakers, and the Sierra Club have filed lawsuits opposing the use of eminent domain to build the pipeline connecting about 60 ethanol plants across five states. The Iowa Utilities Commission approved Summit to use of imminent domain to acquire land for its proposed carbon sequestration pipeline.
One landowner, Kent Kasischke, told Explore Okoboji News that in addition to opposing the imminent domain, he also thinks Summit does not qualify to be labeled a pipeline company under Iowa law.
Earlier this year, South Dakota’s high court ruled against the company on similar claims, while North Dakota ruled against landowners.
