The EPA won’t do its job, so we’re suing

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there’s no imminent need to address pollution contaminating the drinking water of tens of millions of people — so long as the pollution comes from factory farms. For years, Iowans fighting for clean water have run up against the federal government’s unwillingness to address this dirty industry. This summer, after six years of inaction, EPA rejected a petition from Food & Water Watch and allies across the state and country asking the agency to finally regulate factory farm pollution. In doing so, the agency has once again buried its head — and the teeth of the Clean Water Act — in the sand.

Meanwhile, with more factory farms than any other state, Iowa’s rivers, lakes, and streams are struggling under the immense burden of agricultural pollutants. Algal blooms, nitrate-contaminated drinking water, beach closures, and fish kills have become the norm.

We don’t have a year to waste on EPA’s proposed “advisory panel,” and more to the point, we don’t need this delay tactic at all. We don’t need additional research or an expansive study to show factory farm pollution is a huge problem. What we need are elected leaders willing to stand up to agribusiness giants and for the EPA to do its job.

That’s why Food & Water Watch and 12 organizations are suing the EPA. It’s time we put people over profit and prioritize clean water in Iowa and nationwide.

Michaelyn Mankel

Organizer, Food and Water Watch

Des Moines