THE ENVIRONMENT
As I hike on my 80 acres of native prairie grasses and woodlands, I shake my head at those who measure their love of the environment by the number of rules and regulations they force on private business, the number of jobs they kill, and the construction they block.
Stopping alongside Catfish Creek, I crane my neck to the stars above, and relish the sound of free flowing water gurgling over rocks and stumps on its way to the mighty Mississippi. I see a deer, a fox, or evidence of a beaver gnawing a tree, and I thank God these wonderful creations are still alive and thriving for my children to see.
Nobody wants dirty air or dirty water, despite what you hear from partisan politicians and environmental extremists. And we don’t need Washington bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) telling us that it just makes sense to turn out the lights when you leave a room, recycle what you can, and pick up trash when you see it in public. Those are the kinds of things I teach my children about taking personal responsibility for the environment.
But I also tell my children and voters in the First District about my first hand experiences with the EPA as a real estate developer whose partnership wanted to invest more than $50 million in the development of a new subdivision in the Dubuque area. The process was moving along nicely until the EPA got involved. They required that the 100 acres (that had been farmed for over 100 years) be examined for Endangered Plants, Endangered Species, and Indian Artifacts. If any Indian artifacts were found, the development would be shut down so the archaeologists could move in to dig for more artifacts. And we’re not talking about Indian burial grounds; we’re talking about evidence of an arrow head, or piece of broken pottery.
If this wasn’t ridiculous enough, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the determination that our farmland contained “wetlands” because water ran down the hills into several small valleys, which then ran into a 12 inch wide creek, which eventually ran into Catfish Creek which drains into the Mississippi River. We were instructed that for every square foot of valley we filled in (to level out the subdivision) we had to purchase offsetting wetlands in another part of the state.
The result of an overzealous, out-of-control government: Number of dollars invested -- ZERO. Number of jobs created -- ZERO. Number of new homes built -- ZERO.
Economic development, such as the Keystone Pipeline, can occur while not damaging our environment. Our economy is being held hostage because environmental extremists are burdening our business sector with over-the-top rules and regulations. Iowans believe in common sense . . . we have passed the point of common sense with regard to environmental regulations.
If I am fortunate enough to be elected to Congress, the first thing I will do after taking the Oath of Office is to take a straight line to the EPA office and arrive there in a bad mood.
(Note: All of the photos on this page were taken on Rod Blum's property near Dubuque.)
