For Immediate Release

On Saturday, the Iowa Democratic Party voted to ratify a new party platform, taking a bold stance against carbon capture, pipelines and factory farms.

Polling in March by Food & Water Action found that 73% of Iowa voters (including 78% of Democrats) would be less likely to vote for a candidate that supported eminent domain for the carbon pipelines proposed across the state. With Saturday’s platform vote, Iowa Democrats became the first confirmed state party in the nation to formally oppose carbon capture and its associated carbon pipelines.

While many party activists met in Des Moines, over 50 Iowans gathered in Ames on Saturday, giving two hours of testimony at a People’s Hearing against the expanding factory farm crisis plaguing the state. 2019 polling found that nearly two-thirds of Iowa voters stand behind legislation to stop factory farm expansion, but absent state legislative action on the issue, Iowa continues to see rampant growth of the destructive industry. From 1982-2017, Iowa lost nearly 90% of its hog farms, while nearly 10,000 factory farms have moved in, taxing local economies, water supplies, public health, and the climate. With Saturday’s platform vote, Iowa Democrats once again threw their weight behind a moratorium on factory farm construction and expansion.

Food & Water Action Senior Iowa Organizer John Aspray issued the following statement:

“The Iowa Democratic Party has adopted a bold platform reflecting many of the demands coming from their constituents who want meaningful change. Iowans know that our land, air and water are worth more to us than the empty promises of prosperity offered by Big Ag and Big Energy. Our state is more than a dumping ground for factory farm manure and a corridor for pipelines to pass through.

“At the grassroots level, Iowa Democrats are taking a stand against the corporate abuses that have run rampant in our state for too long. We urge Democratic candidates and elected officials  to follow suit. With midterm elections right around the corner, we look forward to ushering in a new wave of elected officials that stand up to carbon pipelines and the extractive corporate agriculture industry.”

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]