Governor Terry Branstad and the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are each asking lawmakers to increase the amount of money spent on the enforcement of state air quality regulations. But critics say industry should pay for that enforcement, not taxpayers. D-N-R director, Chuck Gipp, says the air quality bureau is funded with fees based on the amount of pollutants generated, so as emissions have gone down, so have the fees.

Gipp is asking for two million dollars to hire more people to speed up the permitting process, and companies would also pay more.

The D-N-R is asking for two million dollars for the bureau to monitor emissions, while Branstad’s budget boosts funding for the air quality bureau by one-and-a-half million dollars.