If passed by the governor, the bill would protect farms from lawsuits surrounding their greenhouse gas emissions.
by Seth MilsteinSensitive media
The Iowa Senate approved one Bill to protect state factory farms from lawsuits about their greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation would significantly narrow the circumstances in which agricultural facilities in Iowa, a state with notoriously lax farm pollution regulations, could be held legally liable for damages caused by their emissions.
If the Governor approves The proposed billAnyone suing for damages related to a farm’s greenhouse gas emissions must meet an additional burden of proof: In addition to showing that the damages themselves occurred or will occur, the plaintiff must also prove that the farm in question violated existing permits, regulations, or laws when emitting the gases in question, which the plaintiff will have.
The bill passed 33-13 Most party line votes in the state senate On March 24, 12 Democratic lawmakers, as well as Republican Doug Campbell, opposed it. Democratic sense. Katelyn Dre, Izah Knox and Mike Zimmer voted for the bill. The bill was already there Cleared by the Iowa House in February And now awaits Governor Kim Reynolds’ signature.
Iowa isn’t the only state Stop lawsuits against factory farms. In 2023, the then governor Dr South Dakota Kristi Noem passed a law that restricts Allows lawsuits and nuisance complaints to be filed against K farms and puts a cap on how much money can be awarded in said lawsuits. Florida passed a similar law two years agoAnd a number of other states have similar laws on the books.
Iowa has more factory farms than any other state, and they collectively produce around 110 billion pounds of fertilizer Both annual fertilizers and manures There are several powerful greenhouse gases which can pollute air and water if mishandled. It’s not just hypothetical: Agriculture is the main cause of water loss Globally, and a 2025 study That’s what researchers at Columbia University and NASA have found Larger farms produce more fine-particulate air pollution Compared to most other emission sources in the US, China and Europe.
The consequences of this pollution are extensive. Iowa has a huge problem with high nitrate levels in drinking water and high nitrate exposure The state has been linked to unusually high cancer rates. In 2025, a record number Beaches in Iowa were unswimmable due to harmful E. coliBacteria that can Growing in the intestines of cows and other fickle creatures. US farms do not have to report Hazardous air pollution that comes from animal waste Even deadly gases like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.
Iowa farms are subject to a patchwork of state and federal regulations aimed at reducing this loss But state regulatory agencies across the United States, including Iowa, have a long, documented history of allowing farms to slip under the radar and violate these rules without consequence. often State environmental agencies like Iowa’s are also underfunded and understaffed.
In 2017, for example, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported that there were only 10,000 medium to large livestock farms in Iowa — but subsequent satellite images identified An additional 5,000 farms were not known to the agency and was not tracked or controlled. In 2023, USDA data shows that Only 4% of Iowa’s Factory farms are even allowed to discharge water pollution, meaning that most of the state’s factory farms operate without documents limiting how much and in what manner they are allowed to pollute water with waste.
The Department of Natural Resources is tasked with inspecting farms to ensure they comply with their nutrient management plans, which detail how they dispose of the manure they produce. But an expert in the department told Sentient that by November 2025, The agency was able to visit only 7% of the farms with active planning. In the same year, a sensitivity analysis found this 38 food or agricultural facilities in Iowa Water pollution violations were cited — but only one was fined.
While debating the new bill, Democratic state Sen. Art Stead called it “a legislative intent to protect corporate polluters” and warned that if passed it would make it “extraordinarily difficult for individual communities or even states to hold polluters accountable” for emissions.
In the House, Republican Rep. Derek Wolfe, who introduced the bill, Said it was meant to protect Farmers put in the “crosshairs” by “Green New Deal policies”. The Republic reached out to Wolfe for clarification on what policy Sentient was referring to and did not receive a response.
This article originally appeared on Sentient https://sentientmedia.org/iowa-approves-bill-making-it-harder-to-sue-factory-farms/.
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This story was originally published by sensitive
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