A Bold Vision for Iowa’s Economy of the Future
The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club recently released a report “A Bold Vision for Iowa’s Economy of the Future”. The pandemic and resulting economic slowdown gives us a great opportunity to envision an economy of the future. We have a chance to be bold and visionary, moving Iowa forward and establishing Iowa as a leader while not continuing down the same path we have been on. Economic development AND environmental protection AND workers’ rights AND public health protections fit hand in glove.
As a result of the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds established an Economic Recovery Advisory Board in June of 2020 and asked that they guide the rebuilding and growth of the Iowa economy and make recommendations for the 2021 legislature. The task force was stacked executives of Iowa’s large companies and with people who had made large donations to Reynolds’ political campaigns, with the average donation of more than $10,000, according to a report by KCRG. Throughout the summer, the solutions to improving Iowa’s economy were narrowed pretty quickly to a few items. Missing in the list are creative solutions to deal with climate change, water quality, and pollution.
On the ground, in Iowa, we are facing huge issues that would be improved by a bold vision that would support economic recovery. Iowans are seeing the impact of climate change. We are a huge contributor to the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) industry has caused problems with its neighbors who are being driven out of their homes due to the stench. Some CAFO owners are even wishing they had not gone down the path of owning a CAFO. The short answer to these problems is that we are needing a change.
As a result, the Sierra Club began looking at areas where economic recovery efforts could make a difference to all Iowans and the environment. The work resulted in a report “A Bold Vision for Iowa’s Economy of the Future”. The report identifies areas where there are opportunities for a bold vision:
- Failures in the food supply chains and the inability to bring products to the market were highlighted by the pandemic.
- The lack of local or regional food processing facilities. The pandemic pointed out the need for smaller meat processing facilities.
- Collapse of the global markets for agricultural products. This implies a need to focus on local markets.
- The future will bring more electric vehicles, instead of internal combustion engines, which means the vehicles will use less gasoline and ethanol. With the reduced need for ethanol, farmers need to expand into additional crops besides corn and soybeans.
- Need to deal with the nutrient reduction strategy and other water quality issues.
- Iowa has had a weak response to climate change.
- Tax system has become extremely unfair.
The bold vision includes
- Putting Iowa’s agricultural economy on a firm foundation, by concentrating on developing local markets and increasing small farmers’ access to markets
- Improving Iowa’s water quality
- Implementing fair progressive taxes
- Ensuring Iowa’s parks and recreation areas are supported
- Investing in Iowans
- Responding to climate change by encouraging individuals to reduce the use of fossil fuels
A bold vision gives us a sense of the possible. It can move Iowa into the leadership position of providing jobs for the future. Further, that vision can solve many of the problems and challenges present in the state. The ideas in the paper form that vision.
Sources
Governor Kim Reynolds, Executive Order 6, June 18, 2020
Meeting materials for the Economic Recovery Advisory Board, https://governor.iowa.gov/economic-recovery
“Majority of Economic Recovery Advisory Board has financial ties to Governor’s campaign”, KCRG, June 22, 2020
Perry Beeman, “Economic recovery panel eyes broadband, worker incentives”, Iowa Capital Dispatch, July 2, 2020
Press release, “Gov. Reynolds signs Executive Order 6 establishing the Governor’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board”, June 18, 2020