I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and opposition to the Iowa Select factory farm in our community. It is important that each one of us takes responsibility to protect our community from this pollution of our water and air. This pollution will affect the lives of us all and lives for generations to come.
I attended the meeting held Wednesday night and listened to the comments from the representatives of the DNR. To me, the response from them was very disappointing. I thought the purpose of the Department of Natural Resources was to protect our resources and our environment. What I heard was that their purpose is to levy fines to those who pollute. They are only required to inspect these farms once every five years. How much contamination can occur in 5 years? How is that protecting our environment when the contamination has already taken place? How do you un-pollute a lake? How do you un-kill the fish in our rivers and streams? How do you un-breathe the foul air produced by these factory farms? It certainly is not by assessing fines to the polluters after they have polluted the environment. The time to un-pollute, to un-kill and to un-breathe is BEFORE THE POLLUTION TAKES PLACE! The purpose of the DNR should be prevention not punishment. Right now the DNR is passing the buck to the legislature by claiming they are only following the laws that have been passed. Do you really think that Iowa Select Farms cares about a $3000 fine once every five years?
Where are our legislators? Why are they so lenient? Why are these farms only required to score on 50 percent of the matrix-and these are items of theirc hoice, not ones required by law? Why is it not 100 percent? Maybe if one of these farms was going to be in their back yard, our legislators would pass an effective law.
Another thought, where is Iowa Select Farms getting the water to support these animals? Are they going to be tapping the water in our aquifer? How is that going to affect our water reserve, our wells, our springs, our soil?
If each of us would write a letter or make a call, maybe our legislators will listen. If not, use the power of your vote to find someone who will.
