In a state confronting mounting environmental problems, Iowa State’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture is charged with the unique mission of sustaining the land for future generations, while bolstering Iowa’s economy.

Research and programs coordinated by the Leopold Center are invaluable in Iowa, where fertile soil and clean streams have formed the backbone of the state’s economy for countless generations.

The Iowa Legislature seems to disagree.

In the past three years, Iowa lawmakers have diverted $1 billion targeted for special programs, including many environmental programs, and used the money for general expenses as a way to balance the state budget.

This irresponsible “revolving checking account” practice by the legislature has sucked money from fertilizer and pesticide taxes that were supposed to go to the Leopold Center, hindering its research efforts across the state.

The Legislature has also diverted $1.6 million dollars for tire cleanups and related recycling efforts.

“In tough times, the environment is always treated as a luxury and not a necessity,” said Elizabeth Horton Plasket of the Iowa Environmental Council, in a recent article in the Des Moines Register.

Lawmakers also took away $775,000 of funds allocated for ATV trails and $950,000 allocated for snowmobile trails.

This significant loss of funding will delay trail construction throughout the state. Iowa needs trails to remain a priority for the health of its environment, as well as for the health of its people.

Only one-tenth of one percent of native prairie remains intact within the state, and many of these remnants are located along trails and greenways.

These trails not only maintain the health of Iowa’s natural environment, but also the health of its citizens.

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that one in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic unless many more people start eating less and exercising more. With statistics such as these, it is imperative that lawmakers consider the consequences before slashing the budgets of programs that are helping to curb these problems.

Look around. Are the lakes and streams in your community clean? Do trails have the funding to be properly maintained? Has the soil been eroding at record levels?

Iowa lawmakers need to remember that sustaining a healthy environment is vital to a prosperous economy, as well as to the health of Iowans.

Disabling programs that sustain the environment may balance the budget for now, but this action is going to cost us exponentially in the long term.