WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today secured passage of a clean water amendment as part of the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act, a bill to modernize outdated permitting rules under the Clean Water Act. Rep. Nunn’s amendment creates a new pilot program empowering states to lead water quality improvement projects in areas facing high nitrogen and phosphorus levels—areas like Iowa that urgently need targeted solutions.
“Every family deserves peace of mind when they turn on the tap,” said Rep. Nunn. “In Iowa, rivers that supply drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people have recorded dangerously high nitrate levels. My amendment puts farmers, engineers, and local communities—not Washington bureaucrats—in the driver’s seat to improve water quality and bring nitrate levels down.”
Iowa is currently experiencing one of its worst nitrate pollution seasons in recent years. Nitrate levels in the Raccoon River recently reached twice the federal limit. In total, more than 600 water segments statewide are classified as polluted under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Health experts warn that elevated nitrate exposure in drinking water can contribute to blue baby syndrome in infants, increased risk of cancer in adults, and health complications for pregnant women.
Rep. Nunn’s amendment establishes a voluntary EPA pilot program to streamline coordination between state and federal agencies on water-quality projects in nitrogen- or phosphorus-impaired watersheds. The program is strictly state-led, voluntary for producers, and does not expand federal authority, ensuring Iowa retains control over local conservation priorities.
“In Iowa, commonsense conservation projects like wetlands or streamside restoration too often get held up by overlapping bureaucratic reviews,” continued Rep. Nunn. “This pilot program allows states like Iowa to move these water-quality projects forward faster and more efficiently—while still protecting our land and communities.”
Text of the amendment can be found here.
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