It’s the start of a new year, which means another Iowa legislative session begins. While I’m hopeful some good will come out of the Golden Dome in Des Moines, I’m not holding my breath.

Eminent domain and ways to protect Iowans from Bruce Rastetter’s pesky CO2 pipeline are sure to come up again. But given Reynolds’ veto of legislation last year and Rastetter’s deep pockets and political ties, I’m not banking on action. And Bayer couldn’t get their Cancer Gag Act into a recent appropriations bill in Congress. So expect them to be back trying to silence us if we get sick from using Roundup.

We know there’ll be lots of talk about property taxes. But will we see meaningful, thoughtful action? Few of us are excited about paying property taxes. And yet we all benefit, and are thankful for, the services they provide: public schools, fire and police, and other essential services. Taking a flame thrower to property taxes will scorch our towns and counties beyond repair.

Speaking of schools, I fear they’ll say we can’t even fund our public education system at a meager 2% increase. We’ll likely be told the reason is because of a budget shortfall. A shortfall that is squarely on the backs of Governor Reynolds and legislative leadership because of a tax cutting spree over six years that largely benefited the wealthy and corporations.

Last year, lawmakers tapped nearly $1 billion of rainy-day funds and surpluses to balance the budget. The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference projected net revenue for Fiscal Year 2026 will be $804 million lower than 2025. What we’re actually facing is a revenue crisis created by lawmakers more interested in pandering to wealthy interests than the basic needs of everyday Iowans.

Along the lines of crisis, will lawmakers do anything to address our polluted water and cancer rates? Or will they continue to do Farm Bureau’s bidding and put the interests of corporate ag ahead of family farmers, our water, and our health? The time for action is long past due and the call urgent.

That’s why CCI Action members will be pushing state lawmakers for common-sense priorities to begin reversing this crisis. First, we must restore funding to the Iowa Water Quality Information System that monitors nitrates and phosphorus. Iowans deserve transparency about what’s in the water we drink, bathe, and play in.

Second, legislators must increase funding to the State Geologist to map our aquifers. With data centers, CO2 pipelines, and other corporate structures coming for huge portions of our water supply, we need an accurate sense of what’s available. Lastly, local conservation funding should support small to mid-size farmers who are raising animals on pasture. Pasture based operations generally require less water and help prevent pollutants from entering our waterbodies.

As this legislative session begins, I want to see less talk about manufactured issues in search of a problem, and more action on the real issues impacting us all, our communities, and natural resources.

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Barb Kalbach is a 4th generation family farmer, retired registered nurse, and member of Iowa CCI Action. She can be reached at barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.