News

Official: Iowa’s nutrient plan will remain voluntary

The comment period for Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy ended on Friday.

Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says that once officials have finished reviewing the comments, they will begin preparing the final document which they hope to have completed by the middle of February.

“We want to get this document done during the legislative session, so legislators can see the final document and see what we’re talking about when we talk about this initiative,” Northey says.

Governor Branstad has asked the legislature to approve nearly seven million dollars over the next two years to fund the nutrient reduction plan.

The federal EPA has suggested that Iowa’s plan should include numeric standards for nitrogen and phosphorous, but Northey says that recommendation won’t be part of the final plan.

“We’re really not interested in going down the regulation route with this document,” he says. “We believe we’re at the beginning of an awful lot of stuff that can get done in a voluntary way.  So that’s our focus—we’re going to keep the integrity of the document around that voluntary effort.”

The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a science and technology-based approach to assess and reduce nutrients delivered to Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico.  The plan was developed in response to the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan that calls for the 12 states along the Mississippi River to develop strategies to reduce nutrient loading to the Gulf.

AUDIO: Bill Northey (3:36 MP3)