Iowa CCI marks 50 years in fight for rural changes

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement members recently celebrated the organization’s 50th anniversary.

The organization focuses on issues involving farming and the environment and social issues.

Iowa CCI’s strength is rallying grass-roots support in Iowa communities, said Lisa Whelan, executive director.

“We got to fight our own battles together with more people,” Whelan said. “The grand prize is improvement for our communities, water, homes and land.”

Four priests at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Waterloo originated Iowa CCI in 1975. Much of its local campaigning originally received attention as it aimed to slow construction and expansion of factory farms. Water quality and carbon pipeline issues — on which the organization now finds some common ground with farmers — continue as top priorities for CCI, Whelan said.

CCI’s recent work has moved toward water quality protections and protections from CO2 pipelines, including statewide legislation giving landowners more say in whether a pipeline could be constructed on their land, and local zoning ordinances to ensure cities and communities are safe should a pipeline rupture happen.

CCI combined its 50th anniversary and convention July 25-26 in Des Moines.

“We approach the work with starting local. With the carbon pipeline multistate projects, we have connected with like-minded organizations in neighboring states to make our voices heard,” Whelan said. “At the end of the day, it’s about people having and sharing experiences to show we can take on corporate goliaths.”