CAFO leaders: We have forced a public hearing for Monday night. The Des Moines Register, in addition to the article below, had a great lead editorial on our side this morning in the same section. Weblink to editorial: http://www.dmregister.com/opinion/stories/c2125555/21094217.html We are flooding the switchboard in the House and Senate (and emails). They are going to pay a heavy price for this action! All with only 18 hours from first sight of the Resolution. Go Iowa Sierrans and Environmentalists. Lyle Krewson Sierra Club Iowa Lobbyist On 4/25/03 11:48 a, "Ed Hopkins" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Lawmakers attempt to block hog-lot limits > > > By LYNN OKAMOTO > Register Staff Writer > 04/25/2003 State lawmakers on Thursday took steps to block Iowa's first > limits on air pollution from livestock confinements and other sources, > saying the new rules send an unwelcome message to Iowa businesses. > > > Critics said the last-minute move - which comes after two years of widely > publicized study and a string of public hearings on the rules - sends an > unfortunate message to everyone else. > > > "What this demonstrates to the people of Iowa is that they don't care > about neighbors that are suffering from these emissions that are not only > a nuisance, but are threatening their health," said former state lawmaker > David Osterberg, a University of Iowa public-health pro- fessor who was > one of 27 university scientists the governor enlisted to help write the > rules. > > > The rules have drawn heavy resistance from politically powerful > agricultural and business groups worried that they would require expensive > improvements. > > > Rep. Sandra Greiner and others who consider the rules too broad want them > sent back to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' drawing board. > > > "We need to send a signal that the Legislature believes the Environmental > Protection Commission reached beyond its authority," said Greiner, a Keota > Republican who is chairwoman of the House Environmental Protection > Committee. > > > She and other lawmakers said they needed to act before the Legislature > adjourned to give the resources department time to rework the rules before > the 2004 session. > > > A subcommittee of Greiner's committee voted 11-8 Thursday to set aside the > rules, which were approved just three days ago by state environmental > regulators. The full committee was expected to follow suit Thursday night. > The Senate Commerce Committee also approved the nullification on a 10-3 > vote Thursday. > > > If the resolution passes, the rules would be scrapped and the resources > department would have to start over. > > > The resolution wouldn't require the signature of Gov. Tom Vilsack, a > Democrat. > > > The move by state lawmakers came before their own review panel - the Iowa > Administration Rules Review Committee - could consider final approval, > which was expected in June. > > > "This is an outrageous attempt to undermine rules that would protect > Iowans from factory-farm air pollution," said Dick Bird of Keosauqua, a > member of the nonprofit Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. > > > CCI forced the state to write the rules after a legal petition and years > of wrangling over large-scale hog confinements and health threats they > present. > > > Last year, state lawmakers overhauled the whole livestock-confinement law, > calling for a monitoring system and what is called "ambient" standards - > limits on what can be in the air, but not specific restrictions on what > comes off each confinement, factory or plant. > > > The state could end up pressuring farmers to change their operations, just > as power plants and industrial complexes have had to do when they were > found to have violated general air regulations. That could include > covering manure lagoons or regulating how manure is applied to fields. > > > Osterberg said lawmakers are setting aside months of work that already had > prompted lawmakers to ease some regulations four years before the rules > even would be enforced. > > > The rules approved Monday by the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission > set no limits on odor, the biggest issue to many residents. State > lawmakers prohibited measurement at a facility's fence line, a common > procedure for regulating air pollution. And they would allow a facility to > exceed the limits seven times - without warning neighbors as scientists > had suggested - before a violation would be declared. > > > The rules drew fire when business groups realized they would apply to any > facility that would emit the regulated compounds. In addition to livestock > confinements, that could include sewage-treatment plants and firms that > make livestock feed, chemicals, rubber or anhydrous ammonia. > > > The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Pork Producers Association > supported the move to block the rules. > > > "The science we are aware of disputes much of what has been presented to > the commission, and we believe there is not sound science to move > forward," said Eldon McAfee, a lawyer for the pork producers. > > > "We provided them statutory authority to go in and regulate air as it > pertains to livestock-confinement facilities," said House Speaker > Christopher Rants, a Sioux City Republican. "They have now gone well > beyond livestock-confinement facilities, and they're regulating business > and industry." > > > State law gives the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission broad > authority to pass rules to protect against pollution and public-health > threats. > > > The code says in part that the commission is authorized to "Adopt, amend > or repeal ambient air quality standards for the atmosphere of this state > on the basis of providing air quality necessary to protect the public > health and welfare." > > > Vilsack said he believed the commission followed the law approved by > legislators last year. The overhaul of Iowa's livestock-confinement law > authorized air-pollution monitoring of livestock operations and eventual > enforcement of new air-quality standards. > > > "What we don't want to do is take a step back," Vilsack said Thursday. "We > want to continue to improve the environment. We also want to make sure we > have a healthy livestock industry. I think the rules, if they were given a > chance to be implemented, would do that." > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp