Fall Into Line!
A year ago the EPA threatened to pull Iowa’s police power over Iowa’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) due to perceived shortcomings of Iowa’s inspection and permitting process.
On September 11, 2013 Iowa DNR (IDNR) and the EPA came to an agreement on actions the IDNR would take to bring their inspection and permitting process in line with EPA’s requirements.
Iowa agreed to the following:
– Adopt updated federal regulations for CAFO requirements and setback distances;
– Revise DNR application forms and templates to adopt minimum federal requirements;
– Complete inspections of all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted CAFOs within 5 years, and complete inspections of 20% of such CAFOs annually;
– Timely issue NPDES permits;
– Hire 7 new inspectors; and
– Document enforcement decisions and increase penalties
– Work Plan Agreement Between Iowa DNR and EPA Region 7 –
Looks like Iowa will keep its police powers over Iowa’s livestock confinements but the EPA will keep a close eye on Iowa’s enforcement procedures.
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