Sierra Club is part of the coalition that has worked together on this issue.
Some of the organizations in the coaltion are:
Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa
Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards
Iowa Citizen Action Network
Iowa Environmental Council
Iowa Farmers Union
Iowa Groundwater Association
Iowa League of Women Voters
Iowa Public Interest Research Group (Iowa PIRG)
Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter
Izaak Walton League
Conference of United Methodists
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation


Statement of
Elizabeth Horton Plasket
Executive Director, Iowa Environmental Council

The Iowa Environmental Council is pleased to support the livestock
bill currently moving through the legislature.

The livestock bill ensures that this legislature cannot be labeled
"do nothing."  They have done something very important: they have put
Iowa on a path of responsible and accountable livestock production,
and helped move us toward greater environmental and public health
protection.

Today, several key provisions-weakened over the past two weeks-have
been strengthened to the point where the Council and our coalition of
health and environmental public interest groups can support this step
toward greater protections for Iowa's environment and health.

. The phosphorus standard provisions of the bill have been repaired
such that Iowa's waters will enjoy greater protection than they do
under current law.

. It appears the DNR does have clear authority under the legislation
to deny permits based on siting issues in order to protect our most
valuable and vulnerable waters.

. Permit threshold size reductions and fees on permitted operations
that sufficiently fund enforcement remain intact.

However, the Council and our coalition recognize serious weaknesses
in the bill.

. Air quality provisions appear to hinder the process-already begun
in the DNR-to establish and enforce air quality standards to protect
Iowans' health.  However, the process is ongoing and we hope to be
able to correct the situation in the future.

. Effective dates for the legislation are too generous.  While we
recognize the need for the industry to transition to the new
regulations, no one can claim to be surprised by this legislation.
It has been in the works for months.  With the delayed effective date
of March 2003, we are concerned about a year of booming confinement
expansion to avoid the law's requirements.  Unfortunately, the
opposition refuses to compromise on this point, and we cannot
sacrifice the real protections this legislation offers Iowa's
environment and health.

The Council-and the public interest coalition of which we are a
part-would like to commend for their diligence and persistence the
legislators who have worked so hard on this bill.  We recognize the
courage it took on many fronts to withstand the pressures of powerful
special interests in order to produce a bill that is in the best
interests of all Iowans.

The Iowa Environmental Council, and our coalition of health,
environmental, and public interest organizations, will continue to
ensure Iowa stays on the path we start down today.  We will continue
to grow stronger and more diligent in our efforts to protect Iowa's
natural wealth and beauty, and the health and prosperity of her
people.

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