Discovery information on the authors of IEC Wind Health Paper 

Discovery information on the authors of IEC Wind Health Paper

Being that Dr. Peter Thorne from University of Iowa came to present to the Madison County Board of Health (August 2019- see below) to refute the scientific research of potential health risks of living near wind turbines and being that his name as co-author on this recently-published paper based on same premise (https://ehsrc.public-health.uiowa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IEC_Wind_Health_Paper_2019_FINAL.pdf), AND based on the reality that Dr. Thorne is now the go-to for the media in covering this resolution of the Madison County Board of Health to protect the health and well-being of its residents, the following information is necessary to link Dr. Thorne with industrial wind energy lobby groups and thus questionable motives in being a “neutral” spokesperson.

The co-authors are David Osterberg of the Iowa Policy Project lobby group and Kerri Johannsen of the Iowa Environmental Council lobby group. These three persons co-wrote the paper “Wind Turbines and Health”. With some certainty one can see the heavy influence of the pro-wind lobby groups. Furthermore, not one of these authors has medical training. So why are they being allowed to speak with any authority to the resolution that the MCBOH made in the interests of its residents?

Entity number 1 – The Iowa Environmental Council is an education and public policy lobby group that has 11 registered lobbyists with the state of Iowa (https://www.legis.iowa.gov/lobbyist/reports/searchLobby?type=client&ga=88&session=1).

Members include: Iowa Policy Project (https://www.iaencironment.org/about-us/our-members)

Policy priorities for 2019-2020 are to transition Iowa to 100% renewables (https://www.iaenvironment.org/news-resources/program-priorities/energy-and-climate-priorities

From 2017 filed 990 tax return:
– $995,304 annual revenue
– $207,001 spent on lobbying
– $46,628 given to Iowa Policy Project

Kerri Johannsen, director (https://www.iaenvironment.org/blog/authors/kerri-johannsen-A20
– No education or background in wind energy, or its health impacts
– Experience in setting government energy policy
– Masters degree in Public Policy

Entity number 2 – The Iowa Policy Project provides research on public policy issues and some lobbying capacity. They have 2 registered lobbyists with the state of Iowa (https://www.legis.iowa.gov/lobbyist/reports/searchLobby?type=client&ga=88&session=1).

From their 2017 filed 990 tax return:
– $486,674 annual revenue
– $802 spent on lobbying

David Osterberg, Founder & Researcher (https://www.iowapolicyproject.org/WhoWeAre.html)
– No education or background in wind energy, or its health impacts (see biographical sketch on U of I link below)
– BA in Economics
– MA in Economics
– MS in Water Resources
– MS in Agricultural Economics
– Former state rep, was chairman of the state House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee
– Candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1998
– Worked as consultant to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
– Professor at University of Iowa Department of Occupational Health (see below)

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, U of Iowa College of Public Health

Peter Thorne, Head (https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/people/peter-thorne/)
– No education, background or research experience in wind energy, or its health impacts (see biographical sketch in link above)
– Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering
– Masters in Biomedical Engineering
– PhD in Toxicology
– Postdoctoral fellow in Immunotoxicology

Courses taught:
– Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment
– Global Environmental Health
– Climageddon: Climate Change and Health

David Ostererg, Professor Emeritus – see his info above under Iowa Policy Project, in addition to more at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/people/david-osterberg/

Courses taught:
– Environmental Health Policy
– Health, Work and the Environment

Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, U of Iowa Public Health
Peter Thorne, Director – see above info at Department of Occupational and Environmental Health

Side note: Back in 2015, MidAmerican Energy Company gave a $1 million donation to U of Iowa (https://now.uiowa.edu/2015/12/ui-receives-1-million-midamerican-warm-weather-energy-reduction)

Per their 990 tax returns, the charitable MidAmerican Energy Foundation gave the U of Iowa Foundation over $60,000 in 2016 & increased it to $1.8 million in 2017. It also is one of the sponsors of U of Iowa’s 2019 Homecoming.