Iowa gov expresses concern over proposed EPA rules

[progressoid]

Iowa gov expresses concern over proposed EPA rules

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups pushing the federal government to take over enforcement of Clean Water Act regulations in Iowa said Tuesday that Gov. Terry Branstad is lobbying on behalf of agriculture groups, ignoring the environmental damage being done to rivers and streams by manure spills and farm runoff.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Environmental Integrity Project and the Iowa Sierra Club filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents about negotiations between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The documents, obtained by The Associated Press, show that Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote to top EPA officials in Washington on May 20, bypassing the regional EPA office in Kansas City that had been directly involved in the negotiations with Iowa's natural resources officials.

The letter was written to Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe and Gina McCarthy, President Barack Obama's nominee to become EPA administrator. In it, Branstad and Reynolds express "strong concern" with an EPA proposal to investigate livestock farms with more than 750 animals.

...

"This letter shows the governor's office is out of touch with the water quality reality in Iowa," said Tarah Heinzen, attorney for Environmental Integrity Project. "We're seeing record levels of pollution."

Iowa, the nation's leading pork producer, had 20.1 million hogs on farms in June. Most are raised inside large hog confinement buildings and controlling the manure has become a sore spot for environmental groups.

Since 1995 the state has had about 800 manure spills. The state also has seen its number of polluted lakes, rivers and streams increase. The EPA listed more than 600 impaired waters in Iowa in 2012 up from 594 in 2010.

...

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-07-16/iowa-gov-expresses-concern-over-proposed-epa-rules

[cyberswede]

1. Is he ever NOT a total douche?

[madaboutharry]

4. No.

[rurallib]

2. Terry just obeying his corporate masters

how the fuck does this guy get elected?

[emulatorloo]

8. Because he lied about Culver

Claiming the state was mismanaged, and Culver was corrupt.

And FuckHead DU'ers were telling Dems voters to stay home to punish Democrats.

At least that's my vague memory of 2010.

[47of74]

9. Because with a lot of people...

...the brain cells that contained the information on what a dumb fuck Governor Leadfoot is all got burned out due to a never ending flood of cheap booze.

[Frustratedlady]

3. Terry does as Terry wants and no amount of objecting will stop him.

I've never understood how he kept getting reelected, let alone to be brought back for a term after he'd been out of office for so long. Do Nothing Terry only acts for corporations. How sad.

[madaboutharry]

5. He is a hack.

The man never had an original thought.

[HuskiesHowls]

6. And the Des Moines Water Works has problems with water quality....

Nitrates in the Raccoon river, and the Des Moines river, which are the supplies for Des Moines, are so high they're having problems getting the water quality acceptable. They're now using water from emergency sources, for that reason.

Braindead evidently doesn't even watch the local news, or read the papers.

[progressoid]

7. $7,000 a day

Des Moines Water Works, which serves 500,000 residents in central Iowa, has struggled to keep its water below the EPA safe level of 10 milligrams per liter by using a nitrate removal system that costs $7,000 a day to operate.