Iowa CCI members demand to know which “stakeholders” and “regulated parties” were also present at secret Clean Water Act meeting between Governor Branstad’s office, the Iowa DNR, and U.S. EPA
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) members have released a list of the top three questions Iowa Governor Terry Branstad should answer about a secret meeting that took place between the governor’s office, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 23 in Des Moines.
Branstad’s office, EPA Region 7, and the DNR have all independently confirmed their own involvement, but refuse to answer additional questions about who specifically was in the meeting from those offices and agencies, and if agribusiness interests also sat in on the meeting.
EPA Region 7 spokesman Kris Lancaster told the Associated Press that other “stakeholders” and “state agencies” were also present during the July 23 meeting, but declined to comment further. Lancaster responded to a request by Iowa CCI members for clarification by writing, “Please contact the hosts.” Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht and chief of staff Jeff Boeyink have not returned phone calls and emails by Iowa CCI members asking for comment.
- Question #1 - Governor Branstad’s office, the DNR, and the EPA have all independently confirmed their presence at a July 23 meeting in Des Moines. Who specifically from each of those offices or agencies was present? Did Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds attend the meeting?
- Question #2 – EPA spokesman Kris Lancaster told the AP that other “stakeholders” and “state agencies” were also in the July 23 Clean Water Act meeting. Who was he referring to? Was the Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDALS) present and, if so, who from that agency sat in on the meeting?
- Question #3 – In his May 20 letter to the EPA headquarters in Washington D.C., Governor Branstad requested a meeting in Iowa between his office, the DNR, the EPA, and “Iowa farmers, business owners, municipalities, and other stakeholders”. On May 31, EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks responded to Branstad’s request by writing, “I respectfully suggest that those regulated parties with the most interest in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Clean Water Act permitting and evaluation should be invited to this conversation.” Who were the “other stakeholders” and “regulated parties” present in the July 23 meeting? Was the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation present and, if so, who from that organization sat in on the meeting?
The Iowa DNR and U.S. EPA have been negotiating a work plan agreement to bring the state of Iowa into compliance with the Clean Water Act after EPA released a scathing report on July 12, 2012 finding the DNR’s factory farm enforcement program does not meet federal requirements. The July 12, 2012 EPA Report said DNR:
- Has failed to issue permits to factory farms when required,
- Does not have an adequate factory farm inspection program,
- Frequently fails to act in response to manure spills and other environmental violations,
- Does not assess adequate fines and penalties when violations occur.
The EPA intervention was a response to a 2007 de-delegation petition filed by Iowa CCI members, the Environmental Integrity Project, and the Iowa Sierra Club. The petition called on EPA to strip the Iowa DNR of its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act for its failure to enforce federal law against factory farm polluters.
Iowa’s water quality crisis has never appeared worse than now, with 628 polluted bodies of water, and manure and other fertilizer runoff so high that Des Moines Water Works has kept the world’s most expensive nitrate removal system running non-stop for months, costing 500,000 ratepayers $7,000 per day.
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