Branstad stacks environmental commission with agribusiness advocates

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Mar 03, 2011 at 08:35:26 AM CST

Mertz retired last year after more than two decades in the Iowa House. She was the most conservative House Democrat and chaired the Agriculture Committee for four years. She was a reliable vote against any attempt to limit pollution from factory farms and regularly assigned such bills to subcommittees that would bury them. Her sons own large hog farms and have been cited for several environmental violations. She also earns income from renting farmland to those operations. On the policy side, last year Mertz fast-tracked a bill that would have undermined new rules on spreading manure over frozen and snow-covered ground. She pushed (unsuccessfully) for a bill that would have given landowners until 2020 to comply with regulations passed in 1997 to prevent water contamination from agricultural drainage wells. Mertz has spoken of her "passion" to advocate for agriculture.

Brent Rastetter gave Branstad's gubernatorial campaign at least $30,000. He is the owner and CEO of Quality Ag Construction, a company he and his brother Bruce Rastetter created in 1992. Quality Ag Construction's market niche has been building hog confinement facilities. UPDATE: It's also worth noting that Bruce Rastetter built a business empire in large-scale hog production and later ethanol. Groups representing agribusiness and biofuels producers are suing the Environmental Protection Commission and the Department of Natural Resources over water quality protection rules.

Ver Steeg was first named to the Environmental Protection Commission by Governor Chet Culver in 2008 for the position on the nine-member body that must be filled by "an active grain or livestock farmer." Ver Steeg owns a hog farm and is a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

Boote is a "longtime Republican activist" who founded and runs an organization called Truth About Trade and Technology. The organization's mission is to "support free trade and agricultural biotechnology." It is primarily funded by "U.S. agribusinesses, farm organizations and individuals." Boote has served as executive director of Truth About Trade and Technology for the past decade, so her income depends on the business organizations supporting the group.

Many in the environment-minded community criticized Culver in 2007, when he replaced four strong members of the Environmental Protection Commission with two people who had background in conservation and two who had close ties to agribusiness. Culver later named other supporters of protecting natural resources to the EPC, notably Shearon Elderkin and Carrie La Seur.

I don't see any balance in Branstad's appointees. That doesn't bode well for the future work of the Environmental Protection Commission, charged with providing policy oversight over Iowa's environmental protection efforts.

After the jump I've posted the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement's statement on the new EPC appointees. Iowa CCI has sought to monitor compliance with new rules on spreading manure over farmland during the winter.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:       March 2, 2011

Official statement from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement on Governor Branstad's commission appointments:

"Members of Iowa CCI are not at all surprised Governor Branstad appointed former Rep. Dolores Mertz, Brent Rastetter, Mary Boote and re-appointed Eugene Ver Steeg to the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). Mertz, Rastetter, Boote and Ver Steeg all have ties to the factory farm industry and will put the interests of corporate agriculture over the interests of every day Iowans," said Iowa CCI's State Policy Organizing Director Adam Mason.

"The EPC makes key decisions related to factory farm construction permits, fines and penalties for factory farm polluters, and also writes rules and regulations protecting our air and water from factory farm manure pollution. During his re-election campaign, Branstad called for more "streamlined" regulations for the factory farm industry. These appointments are part of Branstad's plan to roll-back environmental protections and strip the power of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Commission," Mason said.

Iowa CCI members will continue to push the DNR and EPC to crack down on factory farm polluters and write strong rules protecting our air and water. CCI members have been weighing in across the state at Republican sponsored "red tape hearings" to set the record straight, to amplify the call for stronger and more effective oversight, especially in regards to factory farms and the pollution they create.

CCI will continue to push the current EPC commissioners to advance a strong rule to fully implement enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act. The rulemaking was initiated last year, and will come for a vote before the EPC in April.

"We are calling on the outgoing commissioners to leave a lasting legacy of strong water protections. With 572 polluted waterways and over 700 manure spills in the last 15 years, it is a proven fact that factory farms can pollute, and obvious that they should have Clean Water Act Operating permits." Mason said.