Iowa House GOP water proposal is welcome, but falls short

Republicans in the Iowa House have unveiled their strategy for improving water quality in Iowa. There are aspects of the plan we like.

It also increases funding for water quality efforts, providing $232 million over the next 13 fiscal years for efforts by the Iowa Department of Agriculture to partner with farmers on infrastructure projects that curtail runoff carrying farm chemicals. That money, backers contend, would be matched by dollars from farmers as well as federal and local programs.

It converts a current sales tax on water bills into a surcharge that would raise $245 million over 13 years for urban water infrastructure, including water treatment upgrades.

That second piece, in particular, would be a positive step to help cities deal with nitrate contamination and other pollutants running into their water systems. But the portion of the plan meant to address rural runoff and pollution, in our view, falls short of what Iowa needs.

We've long advocated for lawmakers and the governor to raise Iowa's sales tax by three-eighths of a cent to fill the Iowa Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. Sixty-three percent of Iowa voters approved the creation of the fund in 2010, but Statehouse leaders have refused to provide it with tax dollars.

Under a formula approved by lawmakers, it would provide as much as $128 million of the total $180 million sales tax take annually for various water quality and conservation efforts. So over the same 13 years the House plan raises $232 million from a gambling tax fund intended for state infrastructure needs, the trust fund collects $1.6 billion for water.

That's significant, considering that the cost of meeting ambitious pollution reduction goals set out in the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy is estimated to cost billions of dollars. And while the trust fund would provide $128 million in year one, the House plan provides just $5 million. It takes five years to ramp up to the full $22 million promised annually in the House plan.

Unlike the constitutionally protected trust fund, there is no guarantee future legislatures won't scrap the House plan or scoop its funding for other uses.

We appreciate that the House plan could be an important start, but we always fear the Legislature's penchant for passing a bill and declaring an issue closed.

And it's not too late to listen to Iowa voters, who provided lawmakers with a solid, protected source of water quality funding.

' Gazette editorials reflect the consensus opinion of The Gazette Editorial Board. Share your comments and ideas with us: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com