Rob Sand Will Take on Iowa’s Cancer Crisis and Improve Water Quality

DES MOINES, IA – Tonight on the debate stage, Rob Sand is making the case for why he’s the only candidate in this race who will tackle our state’s skyrocketing cancer crisis and improve Iowa’s water quality.

Iowa has a cancer crisis, and for too long, government insiders have ignored the warning signs. For Rob, this is personal. Iowa is home — it’s where he and his wife are raising their two boys. He and his family drink, swim, fish, and play in Iowa water. Rob wants to make sure every Iowan has safe, reliable water no matter where they live. That’s why he’s released a comprehensive plan to improve Iowa’s water quality and address Iowa’s cancer crisis head-on. 

“Traveling the state, Rob hears it everywhere he goes: Iowans worried about our cancer crisis and water quality,” said Deputy Campaign Manager Emma O’Brien. “These problems are making Iowans feel like they have to leave the state to protect their health. Rob wants to bring that to an end, and he has a plan to act — investing in cancer research and prevention, cleaning up our water, and protecting access to promising treatments and cures. Zach Lahn, on the other hand, supports cutting cancer research and wants to ban some of the very treatments that could help save lives. He can keep flying back to Kansas, but Iowa families are the ones who will live with the consequences.”

Rob is the only candidate in this race who has proposed a comprehensive policy plan to get to work tackling Iowa’s cancer crisis on day one as governor. Through Rob’s “Healthier Iowa for All” plan, he will:

• Deny immunity for chemical companies and let courts and juries — not politicians — determine when companies should be held responsible for harm caused by pesticides that pollute Iowa’s air and water.
• Invest in – not defund – water quality monitoring so Iowans know what’s in their water, while expanding farmer-led efforts to improve water quality.
• Expand radon testing and mitigation, including stronger radon disclosures during home sales and training more radon mitigation professionals.
• Make manure management plans transparent and accessible so Iowans can see how, when, and where manure is being applied and verify that existing plans are being followed.
• Invest in digester technology to capture methane, produce domestic fertilizer, create jobs, provide additional income opportunities for farmers, and help keep nutrients out of Iowa’s waterways.
• Help more farmers participate in conservation programs through expanded funding and tax credits that offset the cost of proven conservation practices.
• Create a dirty water notification system to alert Iowans when nitrate levels in drinking water approach unsafe levels or E. coli makes recreational waters unsafe.
• Create a Cabinet-level Cancer Task Force to bring experts together, identify best practices, and coordinate state and local efforts to confront Iowa’s cancer crisis.
• Expand wetlands and working-lands conservation to naturally filter pollutants before they reach Iowa’s waterways while creating more habitat and recreational opportunities.