The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 183 authorizes stricter-than-federal pollution standards for animal feeding operations and mandates regular effluent monitoring
Last action · February 13, 2025: Introduced, referred to Agriculture. H.J. 315 .Sponsors: Art Staed and 7 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 183 removes statutory caps preventing state water quality rules from exceeding federal standards for animal feeding operations, requires medium and large s to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, and mandates regular groundwater and surface water monitoring and reporting.
Operators of medium and large animal feeding operations face new permitting mandates, mandatory pollutant monitoring for discharges reaching navigable waters through groundwater, and mandatory quarterly reporting published online by the state.
- Iowa animal feeding operations are governed by state environmental statutes under chapters 459 and 459A, administered by the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Commission. context
- The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a federal program under the Clean Water Act regulating the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Owners and operators of animal feeding operations
Owners and operators face new permitting mandates, mandatory groundwater pollutant monitoring, and quarterly reporting requirements.
Department of natural resources
The department is tasked with administering NPDES permits, publishing monitoring data on its internet site, and submitting annual reports to the EPA.
Key Facts
- The bill eliminates the statutory restriction preventing the environmental protection commission from adopting effluent standards more stringent than federal standards under the federal Water Pollution Control Act.
- Medium animal feeding operations and large concentrated animal feeding operations are required to obtain an NPDES permit issued by the department.
- Owners or operators of medium and large concentrated animal feeding operations must conduct representative effluent monitoring, including monitoring for pollutants discharged to navigable waters through groundwater.
- Monitored pollution data must be reported to the department every ninety days, and the department must publish the data on its internet site.
Show all 8 facts
- The department must submit an annual monitoring report containing collected data and monitoring progress to the United States environmental protection agency.
- Civil penalties collected for violations of open feedlot operation regulations are credited to the Iowa nutrient research fund.
- An animal feeding operation is redefined as a facility where animals are confined and fed for a total of forty-five days or more in any twelve-month period without normal growing-season vegetation sustained over any portion of the facility.
- NPDES permit conditions adopted by commission rule for medium or large concentrated animal feeding operations may exceed applicable federal standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must obtain an NPDES permit under the bill?
How often must monitoring data be reported to the state?
Where do collected civil penalties go?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
3 actions- Feb 13, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Agriculture. H.J. 315 .
- Feb 4, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Evans, Pike, and Staed. S.J. 194 .
- Feb 3, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Natural Resources and Environment. S.J. 176 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Removal of Federal Stringency Ceilings
The bill removes statutory barriers preventing state environmental rules from exceeding federal effluent and pretreatment standards.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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