Randy Evans is executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and can be reached at DMRevans2810@gmail.com.
You know how some memories stick with you for no logical reason? One such memory involves my dad in the 1960s when I was a teenager.
After World War II, my father worked for the City of Bloomfield, eventually becoming operator of the city’s water treatment plant.
Pop graduated from high school on the eve of the Great Depression. His most intense period of book-learning after high school came in the 1960s when Iowa decided to require state licenses for operators of municipal water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants.
After so many years away from the classroom, this was a time of anxiety as Pop prepared for the licensing exam. He attended classes at night and had his nose in textbooks other evenings.
All of this happened about 60 years ago. More recently, a different and far larger contingent of Iowans has been experiencing anxiety over state regulations. This time, the anxious people are angry the government doesn’t address all major pollution problems the same way it approaches water treatment and sewage treatment facilities.
Continue Reading...