Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey issued the following statement following the closing of the 2017 legislative session. Northey’s statement follows here:
“Iowa is recognized as a national leader for its collaborative, research-based efforts to improve water quality and we are proud of all the work that is being done on our farms and in communities across the state.
“I want to thank the Iowa legislature for approving increased annual appropriations for both the water quality initiative and soil conservation efforts in fiscal year 2018. The Iowa legislature approved over $10.5 million for water quality efforts this session which will allow us to continue to expand the efforts already underway. I also want to thank the Governor and Lt. Governor for their continued leadership in identifying and securing ongoing funding to support water quality efforts in Iowa.
“While I am disappointed the Legislature was not able to reach an agreement on a long-term water quality funding source this year, we will continue the important work of reaching out and working with all Iowans to achieve the water quality goals we share.”
