Legislature kills air quality rules for livestock operations

The Legislature has tossed out rules which established air quality regulations for large livestock operations and businesses. The state Environmental Protection Commission rules set limits for the amount of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia which may be emitted. Representative Joseph Hutter, a republican from Bettendorf, says the rules send the wrong message. Hutter says the rules imply there should be a “plastic cover around this state” to keep things clean. He says the message to outsiders is “don’t come here because it stinks.” Hutter says that’s the wrong message if the state wants to attract businesses and tourists. Representative Jane Greimann, a democrat from Ames, says by undoing the rules, the Legislature has disappointed thousands of Iowans who were hoping for some relief from hog lot smells.Greimann says rural families can no longer hang clothes on their lines or picnic outside because the wind carries the odor from confinement buildings. She says the Iowa Legislature “has allowed corporate America to ruin the property values and the quality of life for thousands of citizens.” Greimann says the proposed rules addressed those concerns.Greimann says lawmakers are ignoring the health risks confinement operations pose for the very young, the very old and Iowans who are weakened by illness.