U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Sunday in Iowa that the federal agency is processing “updates” on Iowa’s list of impaired waterways amid a lawsuit challenging the decision to delist seven waterways that had been added due to nitrate impairment.
The EPA administrator toured Summit Products in Altoona, his first Iowa stop of a trip which will also include events Monday in Iowa City and Dyersville. Speaking with reporters, Zeldin said the EPA was taking steps to address Iowans’ concerns about water quality — specifically about nitrate levels and potential environmental factors that may be contributing to the state’s high and rising cancer rates — by partnering with local businesses, farmers and the state government.
“Here in Iowa, there are so many farmers and others who understand that they have an obligation to protect their land, the water,” Zeldin said. “And that concern that Iowa residents have to make sure that rivers, waterways are clean … they want to pursue more answers, they have more questions, and all that is important to communicate to EPA. And then for EPA to do our part with our statutory obligations, with the opportunities that are in front of us in the months and the years ahead, to help find those answers.”
He said “when necessary,” the EPA sets new maximum contaminant levels on the levels of nitrate allowed in water, adding, “respecting the fact that we believe that a state and local community knows their water better than anyone who’s sitting behind a desk in Washington, D.C.” in this consideration.
Concerns about EPA recognition — and potential regulation — on nitrate levels in Iowa waterways has been a point of concern in the state after the EPA attempted in late 2024 to add seven additional segments to Iowa’s Impaired Waterways list due to nitrate impairment. This list determines if a water segment meets designated criteria for uses like fishing, recreation and drinking water using retroactive data — if a segment is listed as impaired, it triggers a restoration process under the federal Clean Water Act.
After the Iowa Department of Natural Resources challenged the EPA’s seven additions to the list, the federal agency removed these waterways from the 2024 list. This decision was challenged in a May lawsuit brought by Food & Water Watch, the Iowa Environmental Council, and the Environmental Law & Policy Center, which called for the court to order the EPA to relist these segments as impaired waterways.
While this lawsuit is ongoing, the EPA finalized its decision to delist the waterways in late September. A Thursday news release from the Environmental Law & Policy Center criticized this move for not taking action to address high nitrate levels in the state.
“Iowans know that we have a water quality crisis. We deserve more than the Trump EPA putting their head in the sand and refusing to act on water quality,” ELPC Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum said in the news release. “That’s why we will continue our lawsuit to provide accountability to the Trump EPA and to push for action on water quality for Iowans.”
But Zeldin said the EPA is focused on advancing “cooperative federalism between the federal government and the state government,” and working with the Iowa state government to address water quality concerns.
“We’re going through a process with recent updates in the last couple weeks with regards to impaired waterways, not just with adjudicating Iowa’s list from 2024, but also Iowa’s submission of a new list for 2026, that partnership is key,” Zeldin said. “I do not feel like our agency is or should be in conflict with the state of Iowa and the people of Iowa. It should be a partnership working together to make Iowa residents proud to be able to answer their questions when they have them, and to to set regulations according to law that are appropriate to help strengthen Iowa’s land, air, and water.”
Zeldin touts EPA action to certify aftermarket vehicle products
The first stop of Zeldin’s Iowa trip to a motor vehicle parts and accessories manufacturer comes after the EPA’s move to allow the Specialty Equipment Market Association, known as SEMA, to certify aftermarket vehicle products to show compliance with the EPA Clean Air Act.
Before President Donald Trump signed a July memorandum making this change, Zeldin said the only body able to perform this certification was the California Air Resource Board (CARB) – which he said made the process “backlogged” and “very expensive,” with the certification process taking a year or more to complete.
Albert Marasco, CEO of Summit Products, thanked Zeldin for visiting their facility and said steps recently taken by the EPA to help certify aftermarket products has been “helpful to our business,” especially as the business is expanding.
“We got another 30,000 square feet going up this year, more on the way,” Marasco said. “and I don’t know if we can do it without proper support from the government.”
Summit Products was one of “hundreds of SEMA members, just in the state of Iowa” Zeldin said who will benefit from Trump’s memorandum.
Zeldin said the SEMA certification process shows “Iowa issues are front and center for this agency” – and said the action builds off his agency’s other work in the Office of Air and Radiation. He brought up the work he discussed during his last trip to Iowa in 2025 to the Iowa State Fair, where he announced guidance to engine and equipment manufacturers to prevent sudden shutdowns and power losses that occur in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems.
These are issues related to “right to repair” efforts to prevent manufacturers from banning independent repairs. In February, the EPA issued a clarification letter stating the Clean Air Act does not prohibit repairs to offroad diesel equipment like farm machinery.
In Dyersville, he will be joined by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026, to tour an energy facility. Because he was visiting Iowa in his official capacity, Zeldin said he would not offer “personal” opinions on the Senate race or other contentious elections in Iowa. However, he said Iowa’s federal delegation has “strong influential leadership in Washington D.C.” and that many of the issues the EPA has taken action on have been driven by one-on-one discussion with Iowa leaders.
“That’s something that serves, in my opinion, Iowa’s best interests when you have a delegation as strong and as influential as Iowa has had,” he said.
