FYI from Jane Clark Iowa DNR News Environmental Protection October 15, 2001 EPC APPROVED LOW INTEREST LOAN, CONTRACTS DES MOINES - Water and wastewater utilities can immediately obtain three percent loans to improve facilities due to a proposal that the Environmental Protection Commission approved on Monday. The commission will wait until February to take action on air quality rules that may set emission standards for large-scale livestock facilities. Hugh Espey of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement urged commissioners to make a commitment to rulemaking, but the EPC took no formal action on that issue. Darrell Hanson cautioned other commissioners to wait for literature reviews from state universities, reporting that when he reviewed citations from the ICCI he found that researchers were reporting preliminary results and had not proved a link between animal confinements and health risks. Commissioners learned of a draft State Implementation Plan to meet air quality standards in Davenport that is going out for public comment. A public hearing will be held at the Davenport Public Library, at 6 p.m., on Nov. 14. Commissioners also heard a report on the economic impacts of Iowa's recycling industry that found for every dollar in total income created in the recycling processing industry, $1.03 of additional income is sustained. In other action, the following contracts and contract amendments were approved by the EPC: · A $67,700 construction contract with Aquadrill, Inc. of Coralville to construct four groundwater monitoring wells in Rutland Marsh north of Humboldt. · A $30,000 maximum contract with Kerr, Greiner, Anderson & April, Inc. of Reston, Virginia, to conduct a stakeholder meeting and a baseline survey of the food processing industry. · An amendment to the University Hygienic Laboratory contract that adds seven people for air quality support increasing the cost for services from $1,713,690 to $1,975,131. The commission approved proceeding with the rescission of the rule on transporting radioactive materials in Iowa. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]