Senate committee approves bill to limit DNR’s ability to acquire land
The Senate Natural Resources Committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would bar the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from purchasing land at auction. Senate Study Bill 1198 would prohibit DNR from acquiring land in Iowa unless it is from a willing donor or seller. The bill would also stop DNR from purchasing land above the appraised value from a nonprofit corporation that had purchased the land from auction. “We’ve been down this path before,” Sen. Tom Shipley said in his opening remarks on the bill, which resembles bills from past legislative sessions. Shipley said ...