Water quality monitoring and other water programs at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources–some federally mandated–are meant to protect the public health. Yet a proposal to transfer several of these programs to the Department of Agriculture, say legislators, comes from Governor Branstad and is about making the programs “more efficient.” How will these programs actually be more efficient if operated by IDALS? No one, who understands the actual operations of each program, seems to know.
With the potential public health impact, where are the studies that show that, unlike every other state in the nation, Iowa's water programs will be run “more efficiently” AND still be protective of public health if overseen by an elected official whose mission is “Advancing Iowa's Agricultural Interests,” when many of Iowa's agricultural groups have historically and actively lobbied against water quality protections?
Bill numbers are currently being assigned to these study bills, which passed out of Senate and House Committees last week.
2 Comments
it seems obvious
that Branstad views environmental regulation of all kinds as a needless impediment to business. IDALS staff aren’t trained to work in this area, whereas DNR staff are.
desmoinesdem Tue 8 Mar 1:35 PM
from the Sierra Club Iowa chapter
e-mail blast of March 9:
desmoinesdem Thu 10 Mar 2:00 PM