Iowa’s public comment period on the State Department of Natural Resource’s proposed Clean Water Act rule ends today. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement members have submitted over 3,000 comments expressing their concern with the rule and the need for strengthening it. ICCI farm and environment organizer Evan Burger says under the proposed rule DNR can issue permits but there needs to be strict requirements as to how their handled.
Burger says changes ICCI wants put into the rule includes permits must be obtained by large animal confined operations and if there’s three environmental violations their right to operate is suspended.
Burger says yet another change his group wants is to make sure large farm operations have the burden of proof when it comes to having a permit and protecting the environment.