2008 Legislative Agenda

1/18/2008

The mission of the Iowa Farmers Union is to preserve and enhance the profitability and quality of life of farmers and rural residents. The family farm system of agriculture is the basis of Iowa’s heritage, and with the encouragement of diversification and new markets, responsible use of new technologies, and thoughtful legislation, it can be Iowa’s future. Here are IFU’s legislative priorities for 2008.

1. Promoting Sustainable Energy Independence

Encourage Iowa’s rural renewable resources to be locally owned and developed in an environmentally friendly manner to maximize the huge opportunity for our state .

2. Protecting Our Environment

Provide $150 million per year in permanent state funding for natural resources programming, including soil conservation, watershed protection and recreation (trails, state parks, REAP, etc.)

3. Promoting Sustainable, Independent Livestock Production

Require meat packing companies operating in Iowa to purchase 25 percent of their animals on the open spot market. (Senate Bill 504 passed in February 2007, but did not come to the floor in the House.)

4. Other Rural Life Issues

Pass a temporary moratorium on construction of industrial livestock facilities (CAFOs) until the negative impacts on water and air quality, property rights, independent farmers’ financial profits, health and quality of life issues have been thoroughly addressed in a responsible manner, for the majority of Iowans, by the state legislature.

Promoting Sustainable Energy Independence
* Fully fund Iowa Energy Center’s revolving loan program for renewable energy projects.
* Support a state rural electric standard that is targeted toward locally owned facilities.
* Adopt methods of net metering and simplified interconnection for locally owned wind projects.
* Provide a road tax exemption for small biofuel producers, up to 800 gallons per year for personal use.
* Target state incentives to renewable facilities that are locally owned.
* Adopt a Community Based Economic Development (CBED) program to encourage locally owned electricity generation facilities.
* Adopt a low carbon fuel standard to encourage biofuel development in Iowa.

Protecting the Environment
* Tax carbon-based fuels coming into the state to fund research into renewable energy.
* Support initiatives to improve the state’s water quality.
* Promote reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, including carbon sequestration and strict air pollution controls on business and industry.

Promoting Sustainable, Independent Livestock Production
* Tax corporate-owned livestock confinements at the commercial or industrial rate rather than the agricultural rate, to end this further subsidy to CAFOs.
* Establish separation distance requirements between animal feeing operations and gestation and farrowing operations to protect herd health.
* Cap the pollution control property tax exemption at first $100,000 of property’s assessed value, to avoid further subsidizing large corporate livestock operations.
* Cap air pollution emissions for livestock operations at 15 ppb for ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Set and enforce effective penalities for non-compliance.

Other Rural Life Issues
* Restore authority of the county board of supervisors over siting of livestock confinements.
* Strengthen the master matrix to require a passing grade in all three categories.
* Pass the Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICES) bill, which has passed committees in both the Iowa House and Senate, as one way to improve financing of political campaigns.
* Encourage development of local and regional food systems.
* Close corporate tax loopholes and dedicate resulting revenue to increasing quality and access to health care for rural residents.
* Enact a Contract Growers Bill of Rights. Producers must have recourse to litigation against contractors and not be forced into binding arbitration agreements.
* Create a statewide Organics Center.
* Ban outdoor cultivation of pharmaceutical crops until risk of pollen drift contamination is eliminated.
* Require seed companies to share liability with producers for drift-related crop loss.