Dear 5849376, My name's Cherie, and I'm a retired teacher and a former farmer. I care about clean water for the future of our children, livelihoods, and state. Because I'm concerned about rampant pollution of our waterways, I started my own campaign on CREDO's new site that allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks, asks the following: Iowa's waterways have been dangerously polluted for far too long by factory farms. As a result, Iowa has 628 polluted waterways and among the worst water quality in the nation.
The EPA must stand with everyday Iowans, not big agriculture, and finally demand strong Clean Water Act enforcement in Iowa that requires mandatory inspections and permits for all factory farms, and penalizes big polluters.
Will you join me and add your name to my petition to demand EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks require strong Clean Water Act enforcement in Iowa? Iowa's waterways have been dangerously polluted for far too long. The federal Clean Water Act has never been enforced for factory farms in Iowa and runoff from factory farms is rampant. It's a regular occurrence when I hear from neighbors who can't allow their kids to swim in the lakes where they vacation or friends who can't eat the fish they catch. Recently, the federal EPA released a workplan of steps the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must take. But under the direction of Governor Terry Branstad and other corporate ag industry insiders, the Iowa DNR refused to sign the workplan. And now, the EPA has come under fire for meeting behind closed doors with DNR officials and corporate ag industry insiders to negotiate if and how the Clean Water Act is enforced. It's time to do something about it. If enough people like you sign my petition, we can clean up Iowa's waterways and help set a powerful example for Clean Water Act enforcement locally and nationally. After EPA officials received hundreds of calls from activists like me slamming them for closed-door meetings with corporate ag industry representatives, they agreed to meet with everyday Iowans to hear our concerns regarding Clean Water Act enforcement. Yet our fight isn't over until we actually see strong enforcement begin. Now more than ever, it's critical we stand together, and demand the EPA continue to stand strong with everyday people, not big ag. Add your name to my petition to demand the EPA require strong Clean Water Act enforcement in Iowa. Thank you for your support. Cherie Mortice | 
