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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]