Forwarded by Jane Clark Pasted below and attached as a word document is a joint news release from the Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. Please contact Karen Grimes at (515) 281-5135 for more information. Iowa DNR News Environmental Protection For immediate release March 23, 2001 For more information, contact: Wayne Gieselman, DNR Animal Feeding Operations Coordinator, at (515) 281-5817; Barb Lynch, DNR Field Office 3 Supervisor, at (712) 262-4177; Carol Balvanz, Vice President of Public Policy, Iowa Cattlemen's Association, at (515) 296-2266; Dave Petty, Past President, Iowa Cattlemen's Association at (641) 486-2220; or John Lawrence, Director, Iowa Beef Center, at (515) 294-6290. Note to Editor: This is a joint news release from the Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. DNR AND CATTLEMEN AGREE ON PLAN FOR OPEN FEEDLOTS DES MOINES - The Iowa Cattlemen's Association and the DNR agreed March 21 on a three-part plan to bring open feedlots into compliance with current federal and state laws that have been in place since the 1970s, but have not been actively enforced. The agreement was made in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's criticism of the DNR's permitting and enforcement efforts and EPA's inspection of open feedlots in Iowa. EPA reviewed state programs and inspected open feedlots in the four-state EPA Region VII of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri last year. Producer associations, environmental groups and state and federal agencies provided input for the plan. "The three-step plan for voluntary registration, environmental assessment and compliance provides a sensible way for producers to bring their lots into compliance," said Wayne Gieselman, coordinator of the DNR animal feeding operations program. "It's a major step forward, finding a way for us to meet our goals of clean water and for cattle and dairy producers to have time to adjust to this change in the regulatory climate. "We are going to rely on producers to register their feedlots by Dec. 31 of this year. We'll help determine where each registered lot is doing a good job and where they need to improve to meet the environmental regulations," said Gieselman. To encourage compliance, those who register would receive amnesty from DNR for not having required National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, routine inspections and from monetary penalties for minor water quality violations, provided they are working to comply with the regulations. Registered feedlots would not be subject to routine EPA inspections. The U.S. EPA plans to be back in Iowa beginning this spring to conduct inspections of unregistered, unpermitted open feedlots. U.S. EPA inspections could result in substantial penalties for producers who are required to have permits but do not have them. Permits are issued through the DNR and are required for open feedlots with more than 1,000 animal units (1,000 beef cattle or 700 dairy cattle). Depending on their location, smaller operations with more than 300 beef cattle or more than 200 dairy cows may also need a permit. The voluntary registration with the DNR will start the permit process. After registration, there will be an in-house assessment using existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), soils and topography maps to assign a high, medium or low environmental priority to each feedlot. Then DNR field staff will visit on-site with producers to determine if the in-house assessment is accurate and what needs to be done to reach compliance, with the goal of having all open feedlots in compliance within five years. Higher priority lots will be the first to receive visits and will be asked to have a compliance schedule within two years. More information and registration forms can be found on the Iowa Manure Management Action Group's (IMMAG) website, located at http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/immag/. "We've tried to bring all the players to the table, working with the cattle association and the dairy people since last year, and adding in educational agencies, environmental groups and other stakeholders," said Gieselman. In addition to the ICA and the DNR, the following groups have participated in the process and provided input on the plan: Iowa State University Extension, the Iowa Beef Center, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, the Conservation Districts of Iowa, the Iowa Environmental Council, the Izaac Walton League and the Iowa Dairy Products Association. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]