Capitol Notebook: Iowa Ag Sec. Naig launches $3 million stream buffer pilot project in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines basins

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig on Monday announced a new $3 million state-funded pilot project aimed at reducing nutrient runoff in watersheds that supply drinking water for the Cedar Rapids and Des Moines metropolitan areas.

The Streamside Buffer Initiative will offer cost-share payments for adding perennial vegetation along streams in the North Raccoon, Boone, Middle Cedar and Turkey River watersheds, as well as in Dubuque County. A watershed map is available at cleanwateriowa.org.

The program is designed to reduce nutrient runoff into rivers and strengthen source water protections for Iowa’s two largest metropolitan areas. The state-funded cost-share initiative is intended to be more flexible than existing federal cost-share programs to encourage more farmers and landowners to incorporate saturated buffers and bioreactors for additional water quality benefits.

“I am excited to introduce this new pilot project to accelerate the adoption of streamside buffers in fields and watersheds where they can support downstream water users,” Naig said in a statement. “… We recognize there’s still a tremendous amount of work to do, especially in these watersheds because they provide source water for the state’s largest metropolitan areas. The Streamside Buffer Initiative is yet another example of my commitment to empowering farmers and landowners to adopt the conservation practices that are right for their fields in a way that has meaningful impact on soil health and water quality.”

Payments will only be made on new buffers established on land that is currently in row crop production, and will depend on whether buffers are harvested or left in place, according to a news release.

Harvested buffers will receive a one-time payment of $250 per acre for establishment and $1,500 per acre for foregone income, totaling $1,750 per acre. Non-harvested buffers will receive $500 per acre for establishment and $3,000 per acre for foregone income, totaling $3,500 per acre. Buffers must be 30 to 100 feet wide on at least one side of a stream, located on land currently in row crop production, and maintained for at least 10 years.

Since 2003, the department has invested more than $65.8 million in conservation projects and technical support in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids basins, Naig said.

Farmers and landowners can apply at their local USDA Service Center.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — now operating under the Trump administration — recently rescinded a decision made under the previous Biden administration that added segments of five Iowa rivers to the impaired waters list, including portions of the Cedar and Des Moines rivers. The move comes during a summer when Iowa has seen elevated levels of nitrate in some of its rivers.

The letter from the EPA to the Iowa DNR stated that the major rivers in Iowa are not treated as exceeding the nitrate standard for purposes of the Clean Water Act.

In 2024, the Iowa DNR submitted a list of 577 water bodies with nearly 750 impaired segments to the EPA.

Iowa water quality experts have condemned the EPA’s decision to rescind the expansion of Iowa’s impaired water list as “clearly misguided.”

Iowa AG Bird urges AI firms to protect children from chatbots

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general calling on major artificial intelligence companies to prevent chatbots from engaging in sexually inappropriate conversations with children.

In a letter sent this week to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Google, Luka Inc., Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and xAI, the attorneys general warned that emerging AI tools have exposed minors to sexual content and other harmful interactions.

The letter cites internal documents from Meta — the parent company of major social media and communication platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads — indicating that the company allowed its AI Assistants to “flirt and engage in romantic role-play with children” as young as 8. It also points to lawsuits alleging that other chatbots have encouraged teenagers to hurt themselves or others.

“Sexualizing children is never okay,” Bird said in a statement. “Just as it is wrong for an adult to have sexually inappropriate conversations with kids, it is equally wrong for AI companies to generate virtual conversations of that nature. Artificial intelligence developers have a responsibility to ensure their products are safe for young users.”

The attorneys general stressed that exposing children to sexualized content is “indefensible” and that companies must put in place safeguards to prevent harmful interactions.

“When your AI products encounter children, we need you to see them through the eyes of a parent, not the eyes of a predator,” the letter reads. “Protect kids, encourage them, and equip them to succeed. Err on the side of child safety, always.”

The bipartisan letter was cosponsored by attorneys general Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee, Kwame Raoul of Illinois, Josh Stein of North Carolina and Alan Wilson of South Carolina. Attorneys general from 40 other states and territories, including Iowa, California, Florida, New York and Texas, signed on.

In the letter, the coalition emphasized that the rapid development of AI technology offers both opportunities and risks. “We need you to succeed,” the attorneys general wrote, “but we need you to succeed without sacrificing the well-being of our kids in the process.”

They warned companies that fail to protect children could invite legal action, adding: “If you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it.”

Iowa DOC hires new HR director

Dawn Hansen is the Iowa Department of Corrections’ new human resources director, the agency announced.

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Hansen was promoted to the post — according to the DOC she started with the department as a correctional counselor in Newton; moved to Community-Based Corrections, where she served in a variety of roles; then moved to DOC’s Central Office to work as residential services manager and field services manager.

“Dawn is innovative, experienced, and a true team player,” Iowa DOC Director Beth Skinner said in a news release. “She has demonstrated a strong ability to lead with vision and collaboration, and I am confident she will continue to foster a positive culture and drive excellence in our HR department.”

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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