Gov. Jay Nixon should veto bad changes to Missouri’s Clean Water Commission

Once again Big Agriculture has moved to advance its own economic interests at the expense of Missouri’s natural resources.

Sen. Brian Munslinger, a third-generation farmer, slipped an amendment into a 2016 wastewater treatment bill that would permit stacking the commission’s membership with special interest agriculture representatives.

Munslinger downplays the importance of the wording change in current law. But they are important words, and Gov. Jay Nixon should veto this bill to protect against this power grab.

The Clean Water Commission is responsible for protecting water quality for all Missouri citizens. Despite that serious responsibility, in the past it was not unusual for influential agricultural powers to call the shots on commission decisions.

However, that didn’t happen this year when the commission rejected a permit for a concentrated animal feeding operation in northern Missouri on a 4-2 vote.

Pro-agriculture groups immediately set out to get their way despite the sound reasoning given by the majority of commission members for not approving the permit. Legislation was introduced to overturn the commission’s actions. When that measure did not advance, a last-minute sneak attack added the amendment that agriculture interests wanted in the law, without discussion or public debate.

The amendment would guarantee that Big Agriculture would have no fewer than two members on the seven-member panel and could result in adding more agriculture members while reducing the number of members designated as representing the public interest. Public interest members now hold four slots, but under the amendment public interest members could give way to agriculture/industry representatives.

There are parts of this bill that do not raise immediate red flags, but these positive elements could be enacted in another year.

Nixon should veto this bill. And now that citizens are aware of the stealthy way agricultural supporters acted in this case, there should be plenty of public pressure to ensure the General Assembly does not overturn this needed veto.

This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Gov. Jay Nixon should veto bad changes to Missouri’s Clean Water Commission."