An environmental group that advocates for clean water in northeast Iowa has filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the state against a Postville meatpacking over its repeated wastewater pollution violations.
The lawsuit would be an uncommon move by residents to force compliance with the Clean Water Act. Agri Star Meat & Poultry has routinely violated its wastewater permit.
A mass removal of undocumented workers could lead to a tighter labor market in Iowa, higher wage rates and higher production costs, potentially leading to higher prices for goods and services, according to an Iowa State University economist.
Across the Midwest, meatpacking plants -- including Agri Star in Postville -- often pollute non-white communities and low-income neighborhoods, according to an Investigate Midwest analysis of two decades of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement data.
Iowa OSHA has fined Agri Star Meat and Poultry plant in Postville more than $28,000 for violations found after a February explosion that injured two employees.
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