"Residents fear the legislation would worsen the state’s already poor water quality, while reducing red tape and cutting costs for industries."
"A bill drastically reducing the scope of the Clean Water Act passed through committee in the U.S. House and will likely reach the floor for debate later this month.
The legislation would narrow the definition of bodies of water that qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act and would remove laws requiring permits before discharging pesticides or manure-contaminated stormwater from factory farms into waterways.
Some residents of Iowa, the nation’s leading producer of corn and pork, are concerned the bill and its allowances for agricultural pollution would be yet another blow as the state faces an already dire water crisis.
“It’s just morally wrong,” said Diane Rosenberg, president of Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, a decades-old nonprofit opposing the growth of factory farms throughout Iowa. “It’s unconscionable that people’s well-being is being shunted aside for industry and corporate profits.”"
Anika Jane Beamer reports for Inside Climate News September 9, 2025.
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