Members of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association met with the Environmental Protection Agency this week to discuss the future of the state’s environmental rules regarding livestock operations under 1,000 head. ICA President Ed Greiman says they discussed the Iowa DNR’s effort to implement a new work plan for these facilities. “And it’s just really talking about are they going to let the DNR do their job,” Greiman says. “Because recently EPA has been in Iowa and levied some fines for feed lots that do not have NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permits.”
Greiman says the EPA action counters what they thought was going to happen. “We were really under the impression that the Iowa DNR was going to do that stuff and now the EPA is in town,” Greiman says. Greiman says Iowa producers told EPA officials that Iowa DNR needs to be given a chance to do their job and put this environmental protocol in place. “How to deal with assessing problems, how to figure out who needs an NPDES permit, who doesn’t. They are just getting ready to implement that — in fact I think they are training their staff,” he explains.
Greiman says EPA has imposed fines on producers that under Iowa law don’t need an NDPES permit for units under 1,000 head of cattle.
By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton