Mason City Globe Gazette, IA
03-06-07
House Democrats attempt livestock re-write
By Charlotte Eby, Globe Gazette Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES — A group of House Democrats is taking on one of the state’s
most controversial political issues by attempting a re-write of Iowa’s livestock
regulations — a re-write they say would help protect Iowa’s air and water.
The bill they are offering would increase the distance new confinements would
have to be from homes, businesses, schools, churches, public use areas and
water sources.
Those same protections would now be extended to cities, tourist destinations and
planned residential developments as well as swine farrowing operations.
Smaller-scale livestock operations also would be required to obtain a
construction permit before they could be built.
Rep. Mark Kuhn, D-Charles City, said lawmakers wrote the bill with input from
Iowans about livestock regulations passed in 2002.
“They wanted to be separated farther from these confinements. They’re
concerned about losing property value of their residences,” said Kuhn, a farmer
who has been an advocate for tougher regulations.
Under the proposal, confinements could not be built within 1 mile of a tourist
destination, or within 2 miles of some tourist destinations that also are considered
a “high quality water resource.” Those would include Clear Lake or West Lake
Okoboji, among others.
In lieu of the separation distance, operators in some instances could comply with
a plan developed by Iowa State University to reduce the effects of odor on
neighbors.
Current law requires proposed animal confinements of 1,000 “animal units,”
which equals 2,500 hogs, to obtain construction permits. The new proposal
would cut that threshold in half to 500 animal units, or 1,250 hogs.
The proposal stops short of handing over control over where confinements can
be located to local governments. Kuhn said it did not have support among a
majority of House Democrats and likely wouldn’t pass the Legislature.
Rep. Steve Olson, R-DeWitt, is worried the bill would hurt family farmers with
what he called “excessive mandates.”
“Producers that are in business today, this limits their ability to expand,” Olson
said.
Rep. Jack Drake, R-Lewis, said it would take a lot of available land out of
possible livestock production.
He believes he would be unable to put a new livestock confinement on his own
400-acre farm.
“I think it would be very detrimental long term to the livestock industry,” Drake
said of the bill.
The proposal also would require counties to participate in the “master matrix”
scoring system that larger livestock producers must undergo before they are
granted a construction permit.
Kuhn said because some counties are not using the matrix, it creates an uneven
playing field. Under the proposal, counties also could hold public hearings.
The bill would require the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to re-evaluate
the master matrix scoring system, which has come under fire from environmental
groups who see it as too lenient.
Rep. Marcella Frevert, D-Emmetsburg, said lawmakers tried to incorporate
feedback they heard about the 2002 legislation when shaping the latest proposal,
which she hopes earns bipartisan support.
“There always are nay-sayers who say you’re going to drive livestock production
out of this state,” Frevert said.
Nathaniel Baer, a policy advocate and lobbyist for Environment Iowa, said the
proposal addresses some of the group’s concerns about Iowa’s livestock laws.
The organization has pushed for increased separation distances and a lower
permit threshold.
“We’re very happy with those aspects of the bill,” Baer said.
He said major tourist destinations that would be protected under the proposal
include environmentally sensitive areas of the state, including lakes, rivers and
parks.
Measures in the bill also would attempt to reduce manure spills into major
waterways that can lead to fish kills.
Some types of manure storage units would be prohibited on karst topography like
that found in far northeast Iowa. The land there is typified by limestone bluffs and
sinkholes along with the area’s treasured coldwater trout streams.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.