Taking our fight for clean water to the courts

It was just a year ago that we had our first day in court for our Clean Water Lawsuit. 

We sued the State of Iowa for failing to uphold their duty to protect our right to clean water. Iowa’s increasing water pollution, and the state’s inaction on this issue, is unacceptable. People and communities are paying a heavy price for the reckless behavior of corporate ag. At Iowa CCI, we believe that we have a right to clean water – clean rivers, lakes, and streams that people can safely fish, kayak, swim in and drink. We also believe that the state has a duty to protect our right to clean and safe water. 

The Attorney General’s office responded by filing to dismiss our lawsuit because they’d rather defend the state’s failed attempts to clean up our water than stand up to the factory farm industry. 

This was the first major hurdle in our lawsuit. CCI members showed up to the courthouse in support, with excitement and anticipation, to hear the arguments from both our powerhouse legal team and the Attorney General’s office. As we gathered at the CCI headquarters that evening to celebrate the work, we were optimistic about our chances on moving forward. Months later we finally got our results, when Judge Hanson ruled in our favor, upholding our case in court and allowing it to move forward to trial. This was a huge win for our lawsuit and for Iowans right to clean water. 

The fight continues as the Attorney General's office continues to protect corporate ag, this time appealing to the Iowa Supreme Court to review Judge Hanson’s ruling. We expect to go before the Iowa Supreme Court early this fall. As the lawsuit moves forward so does our organizing. Stay tuned on how you can help give this lawsuit life outside the courtroom and show widespread support towards our #Right2CleanWater.