An environmental group claims
that Iowa’s regulations for new livestock operations are failing,
arguing that most producers are not going the extra mile to protect air
and water.
A report released Thursday by Environment Iowa
criticized the state’s system for granting construction permits for
proposed livestock confinements.
Construction proposals are
scored on a system called the “master matrix,” which awards points for
environmentally friendly proposals. Applicants must score 440 out of
880 points in categories that rate potential impacts on air, water and
the local community.
“A 50 percent score is usually a failing
grade, but on the master matrix application, it is enough to pass.
Iowa’s air and water deserve much more,” said Nathaniel Baer, a policy
advocate and lobbyist for the group.
The analysis showed that no
producer who applied for a construction permit has built an emergency
containment to help protect against fish kills that can be caused by
manure spills. Fewer than 2 percent adopted practices that include
installing air filters to reduce odors or obtaining written permission
from neighbors or community members, the report found.
Sen. Thurman Gaskill, R-Corwith, supported the 2002 legislation creating the master matrix.
“I think it helped out. I think we could make some improvements, without a doubt,” Gaskill said.
He supports sponsoring additional research to find strategies to reduce odors from livestock confinements.
Rep. Jack Drake, a Lewis Republican and livestock farmer, said the report unfairly criticizes the master matrix.
“I think overall it’s done a pretty good job,” he said.
