Willems' First TV Ad Exposes Brenna Bird For Letting A Corporate Polluter Off Easy, Then Taking $100,000 For Her Campaign
Iowa attorney general candidate Nate Willems also outlines his plan to take on corporate polluters and increase transparency as cancer rates soar.
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Nate Willems' campaign for Iowa attorney general today released its first TV ad, exposing Brenna Bird for letting a multibillion-dollar out-of-state company that released cancer-causing toxins into Iowa's air for three years off the hook before raking in $100,000 from the company's CEO.
The ad features a family from Shell Rock, Iowa, who live near the ethanol plant run by Brenna Bird's donors that released toxins into the air for three years. The company knew, but residents near the plant were kept in the dark. Under Iowa law, the Department of Natural Resources can only impose a maximum fine of just $10,000. It is the attorney general's responsibility to hold cancer-causing corporate polluters accountable. But Brenna Bird refused to seek additional penalties. Now, the company's CEO has poured $100,000 into Bird's re-election campaign following her decision to do nothing and let them off easy.
"Iowa's cancer rates are skyrocketing and Brenna Bird has refused to use her position as attorney general to do anything about it. When big corporations pollute our air, land, or water, they should be held accountable. Instead, she has let corporate polluters off the hook while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from them," said Nate Willems. "The Iowa Attorney General's Office should work for the people, not greedy corporations who put their bottom line over our health and safety. As attorney general I will make polluters pay to clean up the mess they make, and ensure penalties are strong enough to stop this from happening again."
In addition to the ad, Willems announced his plan to hold corporate polluters accountable and improve transparency as attorney general:
- Real Penalties, and Prosecution, For Real Damage: Willems will work with the Department of Natural Resources to pursue real penalties by prosecuting corporate polluters who damage our land, air, and water, something Brenna Bird has failed to do. Willems believes penalties should deter greedy corporate polluters and will seek damages above the $10,000 DNR maximum when they cause cancer or otherwise endanger Iowans.
- No Money From Corporate Polluters: Willems will not accept contributions from any company, or any executive of a company, which is being actively investigated by the office or who has been found guilty of polluting Iowa's air, land, or water.
- Increased Transparency on Corporate Pollution: The attorney general's office will publish an annual report, and create an online database, listing corporate pollution incidents that have been referred to the office and the outcome of those referrals. This will allow Iowans to see where additional penalties or charges have been pursued and where toxic pollution has occurred across the state.
- Mandatory Local Notification: The attorney general's office will notify residents in the vicinity of pollution incidents when settlements have been reached, giving full transparency into the settlement.
The ad is part of a seven-figure statewide TV and digital ad buy beginning this week.
"Shell Rock" Ad Transcript: "When we found out the plant had been releasing poison into the air for years, we felt betrayed. I just remember being incredibly outraged thinking what's next. Brenna Bird refused to go after them. And then she took $100,000 from their CEO. We were breathing in cancer causing toxins. Am I gonna live long enough to care for my daughter? Brenna Bird, she is not doing the job for us."
Read the full plan at natewillems.com/policy/holding-polluters-accountable.
###
← Back to News