IOWA FARM BUREAU SAYS LONG-AWAITED SUPREME COURT RULING ON EPC BOARD MEMBER CASE IS A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

Court Ruling Says Employment or Residency Can’t Stop EPC Board Action

Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), the state’s largest grassroots farm organization, is appreciative of the care the Iowa Supreme Court took in its deliberations of Iowa Farm Bureau Federation v. the Environmental Protection Commission; however, we respectfully disagree with its conclusion that anyone, regardless of current residency, employment or affiliation, may lead the rulemaking process and decide what regulations apply to Iowans.  The Iowa Farm Bureau still believes in clean government and that good public policy requires that Iowa residents, not Montana residents, should decide Iowa law.

In October 2010, IFBF and several other organizations challenged the validity of a rule, at a time when one former EPC board member lived out of state, and another regulator lobbied for an environmental advocacy group. IFBF also argued that they must not be a paid advocate of a special interest group for the very rules they are charged with adopting as a government regulator.

“This is about an appointed board, who is charged with the duty of representing and considering the environmental and business interests of all Iowans.  A board that serves the public needs Iowans who bring various expertise and viewpoints to the table, and the court said that being paid by a lobbying organization is just another permissible bias,” said IFBF Government Relations Counsel, Christina Gruenhagen.  “Under this ruling, it is difficult to imagine a circumstance where the court will disqualify anyone from serving as an officer in the executive branch.  The court also determined today that actual residency isn’t a requirement of office, even when mandated in the controlling statute.”

IFBF says moving forward, the state’s focus should be on implementing Iowa’s science-based water quality initiative, which places emphasis on critical watersheds and improving water quality.