Update from October 30, 2007

Dear Friends, 

Last Wednesday, I attended parts of the Livestock Odor Study Committee meeting.  I did so because I’M for Iowa is part of the Coalition for a Healthy and Sustainable Iowa (CHSI), which is working for responsible regulation of hog confinements. 

One presentation was from Dr. Sean Fitzsimmons, a Senior Environmental Specialist with the DNR’s Air Quality Bureau.  He basically told us: a) there are no odor standards in Iowa, b) there isn’t any verifiable way to test odor, since c) there are also no criteria to test levels of odor to measure against the odor standards we don’t have.  Not only is that confusing, it’s depressing.  It’s incredible that Iowa doesn’t have odor standards when we have the highest number of hogs of any state in the nation. 

According to many Iowa legislators, there is little hope that things will change soon.  At the meeting, Rep. Delores Mertz (D-Kossuth) stated that Iowa does not need new bills or more rules, just more money for the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) and IDALS (Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship).
 
We also heard from Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey, who said we need to be using biofilters – lots of them – and we should monitor them.  We should also add “robustness” to odor modeling.  (I’m not sure what that means, and the public did not have the opportunity to ask questions.)  Finally, we have to “do things” that are measurable…like planting trees to block odor and reducing protein in the animals’ diets to minimize the stench. 

The last speaker of the day, DNR Director Rich Leopold, addressed the committee with four points.  The following are direct quotes:

1. “There is a problem.
2. “There is a perceived problem that is larger than the actual problem.  The public thinks the problem is growing, but I disagree.
3. “We know enough about the problem to present solutions and to act on those solutions.
4. “It is our (DNR, IDALS, ISU, industry) responsibility to do something about the problem.”

Leopold also commented on the matrix when Senator Jack Kibbie asked if re-visiting or fixing the matrix might be the best way to accomplish change.  Leopold said, in another direct quote, “I’m not for or against it [the matrix].  I’m for talking about it.” 

Although always a proponent of collegial efforts, I was disappointed to hear Secretary Northey and Director Leopold make several comments about the camaraderie they’re developing as they work together on several initiatives.  My disappointment stems from hearing nothing about any results from these joint efforts. 

To summarize the morning session of the committee, I learned the end goal is additional money for ISU to do more studies.  It appears that many of the legislature’s designated experts believe the solution to CAFO odor problem is:

1. Plant trees.
2. Put up biofilters in or around lots of buildings and monitor them.
3. Spend more money on additional academic reports and research – although previous studies have amounted to absolutely no action and no changes.

Citizen  Patrick Bosold from Fairfield offered a better suggestion in his letter to The Des Moines Register today. 

“The Clean Water Act gives the DNR the authority to crack down on CAFO water pollution. Unfortunately, the DNR refuses to enforce the Clean Water Act and improve the quality of our water. It needs to stop siding with corporate agriculture and big-money interests that pollute our waters, and start standing up for everyday Iowans. This means that the DNR needs to start issuing Clean Water Act permits to CAFOs - and not issuing, or withdrawing, permits for CAFOs that don't comply with the act.”

And in the October 28 Des Moines Register, columnist Richard Doak had this to say:
“We have what much of the world would, and sometimes does, kill for - abundant fresh water.

“Yet, as has been said before and can't be said often enough, we treat our water like dirt.

“In a world growing desperate for fresh water, we have plenty, but we show it no respect.

“We dump farm chemicals and manure in it, we turn it brown, we let municipal waste flow into it, we channelize it and make it barren, we often can't swim or fish in it. We send nutrients downstream to create a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have three times more impaired bodies of water than we have counties, and our namesake river, the Iowa, is on the list of the nation's most endangered.

“If states could be guilty of sin, Iowa would be on the road to perdition for defiling a precious gift.

“The state government claims to be making progress in cleaning up the water, but there's a long way to go before it sparkles enough to be the attraction to newcomers and the delight to old-timers that it should be.”
I’ve vented a bit, but that’s never where a truly concerned citizen stops.  It’s time to do something!  If this is an issue that affects you (and it affects every Iowan) please join us.
The Coalition for A Healthy and Sustainable Iowa’s purpose statement is: 

"We are calling for a temporary moratorium on new construction of industrial livestock facilities (CAFOs) until the negative impacts of industrial livestock production on water quality, air quality, property rights, independent local farmer's financial profits, health and quality of life have been thoroughly addressed in a responsible manner, for the majority of Iowans, by the Iowa Legislature. 

“The legislative means to do so may be accomplished by restoring the local authority of the county boards of supervisors, as well as establishing stronger protective and enforceable statewide environmental and health standards."

Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Host a house party to help educate family, friends and neighbors.  This isn’t just a rural issue – it affects everyone.  We have excellent speakers who can bring their presentation to your home or event site.  You can contact Francis Thicke at: fthicke@lisco.com or Jerry Peckumn at: jpeckumn@netins.net.

2. Sign the petition from Iowa Farmer’s Union (www.iafu.org) or Iowa CCI (www.iowacci.org). 

3. Find out who your legislators are, then call or write them.  You can go to www.legis.state.ia.us and find out who represents you.  Tell them you want a temporary moratorium on issuing any new permits for CAFOs until everyone can sit down and find a solution that meets the criteria of our purpose statement.  If you need more information on your legislator or on the issue, please write and ask.  If I don’t have it, I can pass along your request to someone who will be able to answer you. 

4. Respond to this e-mail and let us know if you’d like to join the coalition.  If so, please include your contact information: name, address, city, state, zip, phone(s) and e-mail(s).

5. We’ll have a coalition website soon and it will be under the “Information” section of our website (www.imforiowa.org) in the next week or two.

6. If you’d like to be part of a listserve (an internet information and discussion group) please write to Dave Murphy at: dmurphy123@gmail.com.

7. We’ll be having several lobby days at the State Capitol this year.  We want to show our representatives that Iowans do care about this issue.  If you can attend a rally, please mark your calendar for January 17 and March 4.  More information will be available soon.

Toward the end of his editorial, Richard Doak said, “The way to show gratitude for nature's gifts is to respect them.” 

Please -- let’s respect our land, our air, our water, our neighbors and ourselves enough to do something.  We can make a difference!

Thanks for reading and please write.

Lynn Heuss