"I believe we should fully honor our commitment to Iowa's natural resources through the incredibly successful REAP program," he said. "I've identified, I believe, the best way to pay for it." He called the solution "practical" and "workable."
Within days, however, he said he was willing to compromise on his proposal. Soon after, he abandoned the idea of using the bottle bill to fund the outdoors. Now the governor is focusing on expanding the types of containers covered by the bottle bill and helping rural redemption centers.
Those are worthy steps and should be approved. But it's disappointing that the governor failed to push harder for his outdoors-funding idea. Culver points the finger at lobbyists, saying they're killing his bottle-bill proposals. His spokesman, Brad Anderson, said the governor also heard from many Iowans who said they wanted their entire 10-cent deposit returned.
But the governor is not simply a passive participant in state government. If he believed in the idea enough to tout it during his speech, he should have put his bully pulpit to greater use in trying to sell it. He could have lobbied lawmakers harder and done more to persuade Iowans the bottle-bill expansion was a good way to fund REAP.
If he's really listening to Iowans, he would know the majority of them prize the outdoors and want to increase funding for it. They're even willing to pay more taxes to do so, according to a recent study. Using the bottle bill would have been a good way to do that.
An Iowan giving up 2 cents per bottle or can would have to purchase 500 beverage containers a year to reach a mere $10.
Continued failure to step up funding for the outdoors is bad for Iowa, which ranks among the worst in the country on that measure. REAP has a positive impact on local economies, helps governments acquire public lands and contributes to state park funding and other recreational amenities desired by young Iowans. Investing in the outdoors is investing in economic development, because recreation options help attract families and young professionals.
So now how will REAP be funded in a tough budget year?
"We're going to work with the Legislature to try to find a way to do that," Anderson said. "Quite frankly, they are certainly responsible for pushing some way to fund it, and we're going to talk about that."
Talk won't be enough. Culver and legislators need to come up with the money. Currently, only about 25 percent to 30 percent of requests for grants through the program are funded each year. Yet it is green spaces, hunting opportunities, recreational trails and camping spots that make this a better state - a state people want to live and work in.
Granted, Culver's original proposal may not have made it through the Legislature, even with a bigger effort on his part. But at the very least, an all-out push would have sent a message to Iowans that funding the outdoors is a priority worth fighting for - and not merely a sound bite in a speech.
