"It's time to act. If that means erring on the side of protecting human health, so be it." This action request is excerpted from our friends at Iowa Farmers' Union: House File 2523, Air Standards Bill, passed the House the night of April 6. It already had passed the Senate after amendment, so it now goes to the Governor. Please take the time to call Governor Vilsack's office and ask him to be sure to veto the bill. It would help in his records to have a bunch of such requests [for a veto]. See the Register editorial below for all the reasons you need. You don't need to give him lengthy reasons. Just say it's not worthy of Iowans. His phone number is 515-281-5211 and the fax is 515-281-6611. The Governor's email is: [log in to unmask] or messages to the Governor may be sent to: [log in to unmask] Thanks for doing this. Carlos Jayne IFU Legislative Liaison http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c2125555/23958717.html Editorial: Air quality: Delay no more Iowa can't let regulation of livestock pollution get mired down in endless disagreements. By Register Editorial Board 04/02/2004 Why would the Legislature pass a bill to tie the hands of the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission in regulating livestock air pollution? Because the Iowa Farm Bureau and other supporters of the legislation want weak regulation. They are worried about the costs producers could incur. Rather than let Iowans work out rules to best serve all Iowans, backers are betting they'll be less pressured to clean up their act by the federal government. Specifically, the bill prohibits Iowa's EPC from adopting an ambient standard for any pollutant for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not set a standard. And the U.S. EPA - surprise, surprise - does not regulate ammonia, hydrogen sulfide or odor from livestock operations. The bill would, however, have the Legislature adopt standards based on information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The bill has passed the House and Senate, and is back in the House for reconsideration of proposed changes. "It [the latest version of the bill] really does not provide any benefit to protection of public health," said Jeff Vonk, Iowa DNR director. "There's no one in the public-health community who has stepped up and said this is a good thing to do. Not that I'm aware of anyway." The legislation sets a health level for hydrogen sulfide as a concentration dose exceeding 70 parts per billion. The DNR's proposed rule is 15 parts per billion. In fact, when Dr. James Merchant, College of Public Health dean at the University of Iowa, testified before the House Committee on Agriculture in March, he said that what was then a study bill "would result in no regulation of animal feeding operations in Iowa. Rather, it would encourage widespread air pollution from animal feeding operations. . . . There is good reason to be concerned about low-level emissions of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and odor from animal feeding operations." Figuring out how to regulate air pollution from livestock operations has been bitterly contentious. It has pitted producers trying to earn a living against neighbors who are worried about their health. That doesn't mean Iowa should throw up its hands in frustration and fail to take responsible action. "The Environmental Protection Commission has been looking at this issue for three years, and they have not reached a standard developed by consensus, or one that is a fair standard for Iowans," said Christina Gruenhagen, public affairs counsel for the Iowa Farm Bureau. "That is why the Legislature is moving forward to get this level set, at a level that protects public health, and then we'll move forward to find out if livestock operations are emitting these substances at a level that would affect public health. Farmers do care about clean air. They do care about the environment. We need to find out if there is a problem and, if there is a problem, it needs to be fixed." That sounds well-intended, but how long must Iowa wait? Not long, according to Gov. Tom Vilsack: "We are going to have an air-quality standard, no question about it, and we're going to have an air-quality standard that has some meaning." That may be 15 parts per billion for hydrogen sulfide or some other reasonable number, but the proposed rule will move forward after the legislative session ends, he said Thursday. As for the bill, Vilsack said, "It's just window-dressing. It's not a commitment to the environment." Iowa can have a healthy livestock industry and a clean outdoors, and ought to accept the challenge of doing so, he said. A joint study by scientists at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University has been issued. Livestock sites are being monitored by the state. The DNR is proposing rules. It's time to act. If that means erring on the side of protecting human health, so be it. Does anyone really believe doing so will put Iowa's valuable livestock industry out of business? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Make your voice heard! Find out how to get Take Action Alerts and other important Sierra Club messages by email at: http://www.sierraclub.org/email