Latest news with #Sackett
Malaysian Reserve
07-07-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
FILAMENT HEALTH ANNOUNCES FDA AUTHORIZATION OF PHASE 2 CLINICAL TRIAL STUDYING PSILOCYBIN FOR ALCOHOL USE DISORDER AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS
The clinical trial at the University of Washington will study Filament's botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010 VANCOUVER, BC, July 7, 2025 /CNW/ – Filament Health Corp. (OTC:FLHLF) ('Filament' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a phase 2 clinical trial studying the Company's botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans and first responders. The trial will be led by Dr. Nathan Sackett at the University of Washington School of Medicine's Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry. It will be the first clinical trial to study the safety of psilocybin combined with psychological support for the treatment of individuals with both AUD and PTSD. 'Despite significant overlap between AUD and PTSD, there is a lack of evidence-based treatment options for people experiencing both conditions, particularly among veterans and first responders, who are disproportionately affected,' said Dr. Sackett, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. 'This study will be the first to investigate the safety of psilocybin-assisted support in this dual-diagnosis population, and we are grateful to Filament for enabling this important research.' Military veterans and first responders experience some of the highest rates of co-occurring AUD and PTSD, yet treatment options remain limited and are often ineffective. While psychedelic-assisted therapies have shown promise for each condition individually, no prior trials have evaluated the use of psilocybin for both concurrently. This study will assess the safety of a single 25 mg dose of PEX010 paired with non-directive psychological support, defined by safety monitoring, empathetic presence, and integration sessions. 'Veterans and first responders dedicate their lives to protecting others, yet are often left behind with regard to mental health treatments,' said Benjamin Lightburn, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Filament Health. 'We're proud to contribute to this urgently needed research, which could help shape the future of care for those who have given so much to their communities.' The trial is funded by the State of Washington and is enrolling now, with results expected by fall 2026. Information regarding enrolment can be found at ABOUT FILAMENT HEALTH (OTC:FLHLF)Filament Health is a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company. We believe that safe, standardized, naturally-derived psychedelic medicines can improve the lives of many, and our mission is to see them in the hands of everyone who needs them as soon as possible. Filament's platform of proprietary intellectual property enables the discovery, development, and delivery of natural psychedelic medicines for clinical development. We are paving the way with the first-ever natural psychedelic drug candidates. Learn more at and on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATIONCertain statements and information contained in this press release and the documents referred to herein may constitute 'forward–looking statements' and 'forward–looking information,' respectively, under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward–looking information can be identified by the use of forward–looking terminology such as, 'expect', 'anticipate', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'believe', 'intends', 'forecast', 'plans', 'guidance' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward–looking statements or information. The forward–looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of management of Filament regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward–looking statements. Forward–looking statements regarding the Company are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of Filament to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward–looking statements or forward–looking information, including the timing and results of clinical trials, the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court and shareholders approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the proposed business combination; other expectations and assumptions concerning the transactions contemplated in the proposed business combination; the available funds of the parties and the anticipated use of such funds; the availability of financing opportunities; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the psychedelic drug development industry; risks associated with economic conditions, dependence on management and currency risk; risks relating to U.S. regulatory landscape; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws and regulation; other governmental and environmental regulation; public opinion and perception of the psychedelic drug development industry; risks related to the economy generally; risk of litigation; conflicts of interest; risks relating to certain remedies being limited and the difficulty of enforcement of judgments and effect service outside of Canada; and risks related to future acquisitions or dispositions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward– looking statements and forward–looking information. Filament will not update any forward–looking statements or forward–looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Cision Canada
07-07-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
FILAMENT HEALTH ANNOUNCES FDA AUTHORIZATION OF PHASE 2 CLINICAL TRIAL STUDYING PSILOCYBIN FOR ALCOHOL USE DISORDER AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS
The clinical trial at the University of Washington will study Filament's botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010 VANCOUVER, BC, July 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Filament Health Corp. (OTC:FLHLF) (" Filament" or the " Company"), a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a phase 2 clinical trial studying the Company's botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans and first responders. The trial will be led by Dr. Nathan Sackett at the University of Washington School of Medicine's Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry. It will be the first clinical trial to study the safety of psilocybin combined with psychological support for the treatment of individuals with both AUD and PTSD. "Despite significant overlap between AUD and PTSD, there is a lack of evidence-based treatment options for people experiencing both conditions, particularly among veterans and first responders, who are disproportionately affected," said Dr. Sackett, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "This study will be the first to investigate the safety of psilocybin-assisted support in this dual-diagnosis population, and we are grateful to Filament for enabling this important research." Military veterans and first responders experience some of the highest rates of co-occurring AUD and PTSD, yet treatment options remain limited and are often ineffective. While psychedelic-assisted therapies have shown promise for each condition individually, no prior trials have evaluated the use of psilocybin for both concurrently. This study will assess the safety of a single 25 mg dose of PEX010 paired with non-directive psychological support, defined by safety monitoring, empathetic presence, and integration sessions. "Veterans and first responders dedicate their lives to protecting others, yet are often left behind with regard to mental health treatments," said Benjamin Lightburn, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Filament Health. "We're proud to contribute to this urgently needed research, which could help shape the future of care for those who have given so much to their communities." The trial is funded by the State of Washington and is enrolling now, with results expected by fall 2026. Information regarding enrolment can be found at ABOUT FILAMENT HEALTH (OTC:FLHLF) Filament Health is a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company. We believe that safe, standardized, naturally-derived psychedelic medicines can improve the lives of many, and our mission is to see them in the hands of everyone who needs them as soon as possible. Filament's platform of proprietary intellectual property enables the discovery, development, and delivery of natural psychedelic medicines for clinical development. We are paving the way with the first-ever natural psychedelic drug candidates. Learn more at and on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements and information contained in this press release and the documents referred to herein may constitute "forward–looking statements" and "forward–looking information," respectively, under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward–looking information can be identified by the use of forward–looking terminology such as, "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", "forecast", "plans", "guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward–looking statements or information. The forward–looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of management of Filament regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward–looking statements. Forward–looking statements regarding the Company are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of Filament to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward–looking statements or forward–looking information, including the timing and results of clinical trials, the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court and shareholders approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the proposed business combination; other expectations and assumptions concerning the transactions contemplated in the proposed business combination; the available funds of the parties and the anticipated use of such funds; the availability of financing opportunities; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the psychedelic drug development industry; risks associated with economic conditions, dependence on management and currency risk; risks relating to U.S. regulatory landscape; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws and regulation; other governmental and environmental regulation; public opinion and perception of the psychedelic drug development industry; risks related to the economy generally; risk of litigation; conflicts of interest; risks relating to certain remedies being limited and the difficulty of enforcement of judgments and effect service outside of Canada; and risks related to future acquisitions or dispositions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward– looking statements and forward–looking information. Filament will not update any forward–looking statements or forward–looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Starting from absolute scratch': Viking Motorsports grows as independent team
After years of being a NASCAR sponsor, SciAps CEO and co-founder Don Sackett wanted to make more of an impact. His vision was Viking Motorsports, a competitive and non-affiliated NASCAR Xfinity Series team. Sackett had a trial run in 2024, fielding the No. 38 car, which was prepared by RSS Racing in Georgia. Over the offseason, the team became its own entity and relocated to NASCAR's Charlotte hub, leasing space from BJ McLeod. Advertisement Matt DiBenedetto, who believed in Sackett's vision from the start, returned as the team's driver as it switched manufacturers, crew chiefs and car numbers; the only returning pieces of the team from 2024 were DiBenedetto, Sackett and spotter Doug Campbell. RELATED: Matt DiBenedetto driver page 'The main goal last year was to get this thing off the ground, and that situation with the Siegs helping us was great for getting Viking Motorsports off the ground,' DiBenedetto told 'The main goal was for us to truly become our own self-sufficient team.' Ultimately, Sackett wanted his fingerprints in operating a team and creating a unique culture. With an established driver in DiBenedetto, the veteran racer streamlines the process, having built various teams in the past. That was important for both parties as it also attracts employees. Advertisement 'Having a driver like Matt takes a lot of the unknown out of the equation,' Jeremy Lange, general manager of Viking Motorsports and formerly with Leavine Family Racing, said. 'I know we have a talented driver behind the wheel. If we can build race cars that can race, we know we have a guy that can drive them versus an unknown or a kid who has money. We wanted to build it around a driver that we know can drive.' DiBenedetto has made a living by overdelivering for smaller race teams. But even he thinks this was a different setting, given the team's from-the-ground-up start. 'We have erratically improved and helped grow and build teams in the past,' DiBenedetto said. 'But this one was different because it was starting from absolute scratch, completely nothing. That is what is probably more rewarding about it because it feels like building a business. 'We've had great people put in our path and a lot of tools for success that's grown so much from looking back a year ago to where we are today and where we're heading for the rest of the season.' A Viking Motorsports crew member (L) and Matt DiBenedetto (R) share a laugh. Constant change led to a busy offseason for the small race team. The first full-time employee was hired in November, shortly after the 2024 campaign concluded. Veteran crew chief Pat Tryson was a pivotal acquisition, and Viking now has more than a dozen full-time employees. Advertisement To prepare for 2025, employees juggled working seven days per week over the offseason. It helped that everyone pulled rope in the same direction, knowing the beast of an opening three months of the schedule with no weeks off until early May. Entering 2025, Viking established that cracking the top 15 would be a morale boost. Even then, the No. 99 team would be battling some of the series' Goliaths. 'Our goal was to build our notebook of what we can do from our end,' Lange said. 'You also have to put your flag in the ground and say, 'we're here.' But you need to put your best foot forward every weekend, so people recognize that you are wanting to improve. 'We're not satisfied finishing 20th; we're not satisfied finishing 10th. We want to compete for victories, but we also have to be realistic in where we are and the lifespan of our race team. We're racing teams on a weekly basis that have been doing this for a long time and have a lot more resources than we do. Not an excuse, just a fact.' Advertisement Through the opening 15 races of the season, the No. 99 team's highlight was finishing fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. DiBenedetto narrowly missed out on top 10s in each of the first two races of the season, placing 11th and 12th, respectively. He has three additional top 20 finishes, including a 16th-place outing in NASCAR's return to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last weekend. DiBenedetto ranks 24th in the driver standings, and the No. 99 sits one spot lower in the owner points. The team's next contest comes at Pocono Raceway this Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule 'We've had some hurdles to start the year, but I feel like we're caught up and in a better spot,' DiBenedetto said. 'We want to prove ourselves as a team, and it's all about growing relationships with the manufacturer and gaining the respect of everybody in the sport, knowing this Viking Motorsports team is here to stay and long for the haul. We want to build a successful Xfinity Series team.' Advertisement DiBenedetto, who has been around the top three divisions for more than 15 years, is fully committed to Viking. He hopes to be the driver who can continue being in the trenches and build a competitive organization. He recalled telling Sackett: 'I'll run the rest of my career with you guys if that's a possibility because I believed in them 1,000% just like they believed in me.' As the team continues to learn from each other, Lange is happy with the swift progress of the No. 99 bunch, but he won't be satisfied until the team is competing up front.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
It could soon become easier to build in Louisiana wetlands
Photo of cypress trees in the Atchafalaya River Basin. Environmental groups like the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and Sierra Club worry a new bill will make it easier to develop in isolated wetland areas. (Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator) In a stretch of wild land in Iberville Parish, a small dirt dam built across an out-of-the-way bayou is at the center of a lawsuit. Environmental advocates fear cases like this could become more common if a Louisiana proposal to redefine its wetlands becomes law. Opponents say this proposed change doesn't just open doors for mixed legal interpretations; it could also make it easier to erase valuable wetland habitat and build in flood-prone areas. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in Baton Rouge two years ago by the environmental group Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West. They allege Benjamin Miller of Miller Hunting Club in Eunice illegally dammed Pat's Throat Bayou in 2021 to access hunting grounds on the other bank. The hunting club didn't get a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before Miller built the dam, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the plaintiffs claim the USACE granted a permit after the dam was illegally built. If the Louisiana Legislature approves a proposed update to its wetlands laws, environmentalists fear property owners and developers will argue that wetlands like these – illegally dammed off from a navigable body of water – shouldn't be protected under state or federal law. 'There will be lawsuits,' said Margie Vicknair-Pray, conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club Delta chapter. 'They're changing the definition, but that doesn't change reality.' Mirroring Sackett Pat's Throat Bayou is a window into how a national policy shift could affect Louisiana. A 2023 Supreme Court decision, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, narrowed federal protection for wetlands. The case arose from an Idaho family who backfilled their property, which the EPA later determined to be protected wetlands. The Sacketts challenged that determination, arguing successfully their land did not connect to a navigable water body – known in federal law as Waters of the United States (WOTUS). Before Sackett, developers needed a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge or fill a wetland area protected under the federal Clean Water Act. The Sackett ruling also left uncertainty as to where navigable channels under WOTUS begin and end when it comes to wetlands, according to Mark Davis, director of the Tulane Center for Environmental Law. 'They didn't define exactly how that's going to play out … and people will agree and disagree where those lines are drawn,' Davis said. This means owners and developers might not need permits from the USACE to build in isolated wetland areas. The grey area has prompted states to step in and try to fill the regulatory gap with their own wetlands laws. Louisiana state Sen. 'Big Mike' Fesi, R-Houma, has sponsored Senate Bill 94 in response to the Sackett decision. His bill looks to redefine wetlands cut off by levees that break their connection to navigable water bodies as 'fastlands,' disqualifying them from federal protection. Fesi said in an interview his bill is meant to bring Louisiana law in line with the Sackett decision. 'We try calling everything wetlands just because it has a little water in it,' Fesi said. 'It's gotten way out of hand.' The Sackett ruling does not affect wetlands connected to navigable bodies of water, such as the Mississippi River, or tidal wetlands along Louisiana's coast. They would still have federal protection under the Clean Water Act. Wetlands with levees, either through 'current or future lawful construction,' are left more vulnerable in Fesi's proposal. The senator did not give a conclusive answer when asked what will happen to current wetlands cut off by future levees, saying his bill was intended to invite room for individual interpretation 'One size doesn't fit all,' he said. That's exactly the issue wetlands advocates have with Senate Bill 94 – the room for interperetation it leaves for how wetlands are defined. In the case of Pat's Throat Bayou, the argument was over whether wetlands connected to the navigable bayou were cut off legally or illegally when Miller built a dam, said Brennan Spoor, a member of Atchafalaya Basinkeepers. The group's mission is to protect and restore the swamps and waterways of the basin. 'The bill applies to all [levees and dams] that are currently existing or future ones that are lawfully constructed,' Spoor said. 'You could argue that the dam was lawfully constructed, and therefore the wetlands that they have destroyed since they built the dam were never wetlands at all,' he added, explaining that the bill tries to eliminate the need for a federal permit if the property owners want to dredge or fill the landscape. The exact language of the bill is also concerning to legal experts for the confusion they say it will create in the law. Fesi's bill changes the definition of wetlands under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, the program that regulates contamination released into surface waters. But Louisiana still needs to follow federal law for pollutants. 'The notion of a continuous surface connection is not really part of the rule for what a pollution discharge covers,' Davis said. 'If anything, it creates deeper confusion rather than clarification.' The Louisiana Senate approved Fesi's bill Tuesday in a 35-1 vote. It heads next to the governor for his signature. Flood concerns As legal arguments mount, environmental advocates say the stakes are high for Louisiana. Building in wetland areas eliminates valuable habitat and increases the risk of flooding in nearby communities, Vicknair-Pray said. 'People just want to build where they want to build, and they don't want to think of the long-term consequences' like habitat loss and flooding, she said. 'That water has to go somewhere. We need wetlands for that water to back up into.' When asked about flood concerns, Fesi said he thinks his bill would make it easier to construct and repair levees, aiding with much-needed flood control in some areas and 'promoting individual property rights' for those wanting to build in previously defined wetlands. 'Those aren't wetlands,' Fesi said, speaking about wetland areas surrounded by levees or cut off from bodies of water. The 2023 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, a document outlining various coastal restoration and flood protection projects, recommends a combination of wetland resources and manmade levees for flood control. The same document also warns that overengineering rivers like the Mississippi can 'impact coastal wetlands and undermine their ability to replenish naturally.' 'The marsh behind a levee is going to die,' Vicknair-Pray said. Aside from just diminished natural flood control, she worries wildlife living in isolated wetland areas, including migrating ducks and native reptiles, will be put at risk with development encouraged under Fesi's legislation. 'We used to consider this Sportsman's Paradise,' she said. 'I don't think we can say that anymore.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Big Ag thwarted wetlands protections in Illinois and Iowa
Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court's decision in Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency significantly limited the agency's ability to use the 1972 Clean Water Act to safeguard the nation's wetlands from pollution and destruction. The decision determined that wetlands — waterlogged habitats that help filter water and sequester carbon — must be indistinguishable from larger bodies of water to be eligible for protection under the law. The move effectively eliminated federal protection for most freshwater wetlands in the United States. The Sackett decision shifted responsibility onto states to protect their wetlands from being demolished in the name of development. Although about half of all states already had their own wetland protection laws on the books, the other half had no state-level wetland protections, according to the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy. A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that wetlands in Illinois, Iowa, and other states in the Upper Midwest are particularly vulnerable to overdevelopment due to weak statewide regulations. Illinois appears to be well positioned to protect its wetlands. It's a blue state with Democratic supermajorites in both state legislative chambers and a governor friendly to climate policy. But last year, a wetlands protection bill never made it to the General Assembly for a vote. And Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman, the primary sponsor of the bill, is pessimistic about pushing the same bill through the legislature this year. One major opponent stands in the way: the Illinois Farm Bureau. 'If the Farm Bureau is against it, a lot of legislators from downstate will be against it,' Ellman told Grist. 'I think a lot of planets would have to align before we could get this bill passed this session.' The Illinois Farm Bureau belongs to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization that bills itself as the 'unified national voice of agriculture.' The federation, which boasts nearly 6 million members, is a conservative-leaning group that lobbies for policies that typically limit the government's ability to restrict farmers' activities. As such, the group often views wetland rules as overstepping — and its state chapters wield their influence to cut such measures short, according to lawmakers in Illinois and Iowa, two of the nation's largest agricultural producers. Since the Sackett decision, a handful of states have tried to fill in the gap in federal protections with mixed results. Only one state — Colorado — so far has succeeded in passing legislation restoring its wetlands protections to a pre-Sackett level. Illinois presents an interesting test case: Can agricultural states push wetlands protections through when conservative-leaning lobbying groups oppose regulation? Ellman's bill is 'definitely in a precarious situation this year,' said Jennifer Walling, who runs the Illinois Environmental Council, an organization that advances environmental policy statewide. 'This is something that makes so much sense. It should be bipartisan support, and yet it's getting a lot of challenges.' Wetlands are soggy, muddy interstitial ecosystems like swamps, marshes, and bogs that often bridge the gap between dry land and larger bodies of water. The unifying feature across these landscapes is that they're all some degree of waterlogged: The ground can be fully flooded or just saturated, and these conditions can vary seasonally. As a result of that water content, wetlands have specialized soils that store plenty of carbon, says Siobhan Fennessy, a professor at Kenyon College and wetland ecologist. Globally, inland wetlands occupy only about 6 percent of the Earth's land surface but are estimated to hold about 30 percent of the world's soil carbon. That's significant, since 'there's more carbon in soils globally than there is in the atmosphere,' Fennessy said. In the United States, wetlands account for less than 6 percent of the surface area of the lower 48 states, approximately half of what existed at the time of the American Revolution. In addition to storing carbon, these sparse habitats provide critical ecological functions like soaking up excessive rains to mitigate flood risks and recharging groundwater. But wetlands have been under attack by corporate interests and those who want fewer bureaucratic hurdles when developing land. The Sacketts, the Idaho couple who gave the 2023 Supreme Court decision its name, engaged in a 16-year legal battle against the EPA to build a lake home despite objections from the agency that doing so violated the Clean Water Act. The case concerned home building, but agricultural groups joined in the chorus of opposition. The Illinois Farm Bureau, alongside 19 other state Farm Bureaus, signed onto the American Farm Bureau Federation's amicus brief backing the plaintiffs' argument that the federal government was overstepping the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act by regulating wetlands not obviously connected to larger bodies of water. The Trump administration has stepped up efforts to reduce federal protections for waterways. As part of the EPA's so-called 'greatest day of deregulation' earlier this year, agency administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to further limit the scope of the Clean Water Act by more narrowly defining 'waters of the United States.' The law firm that represented the Sacketts — Pacific Legal Foundation—is now suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a program known as Swampbuster, which gives farmers public funds in exchange for conserving wetlands on their land. Together, these developments have empowered agribusiness groups to 'take actions that are profoundly contrary to the public interest,' said Dani Replogle, a staff attorney of the Food and Water Watch, one of the defendants in the Swampbuster case. In Illinois, despite solid Democratic majorities in the state legislature, plans to enshrine wetland protections after the Sackett decision haven't gotten far. In February of this year, Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman introduced SB 2401, or the Wetlands Protection Act, to the state senate. It was her second time bringing the bill to the state legislature, following its failure to reach a vote last year. Ellman envisioned the measure as a response to the 2023 Supreme Court decision. It would create a process by which landowners would have to apply for and receive a permit before developing on wetlands. 'It was originally a wetlands and streams act,' Ellman told Grist. But in early conversations with the Illinois Farm Bureau, she received feedback that the way she defined streams in the bill was too vague. The group voiced concern that the bill was too far-reaching and placed an unfair burden on landowners. At that point, she decided, 'Okay, we're just going to focus on wetlands.' Even after the change, Ellman remembered the Illinois Farm Bureau 'turning on their jets': She and other lawmakers were flooded with calls urging them to oppose the wetland bill. She thinks the unified show of opposition reflects the organizing power of Illinois' nearly 100 county-level farm bureaus. The Illinois Farm Bureau has also wooed city and suburban legislators via its Adopt-A-Legislator program. 'People go down and spend the day touring farms and learning about agriculture,' said Illinois State Representative Anna Moeller. 'I know a lot of my colleagues really enjoy that.' As an example, the Menard County Farm Bureau posted photos on Facebook post last summer from a cookout in central Illinois hosted by Senate President Don Harmon and State Representative Camille Y. Lilly, both Chicago-area Democrats. According to Lilly's official Facebook account, she's hosting the cookout again later this summer. Chris Davis, director of state legislation for Illinois Farm Bureau, told Grist that Ellman's bill remains 'extraordinarily broad and vague in terms of what scope of wetlands it would regulate.' If the bill were to pass, he said it would be 'extremely difficult' to assess its impact on farmers — despite the bill exempting agriculture from the permitting process. Under the legislation, farmers would be able to perform activities like ranching, plowing, seeding, and harvesting and drain wetlands and other waterways in the process without a permit. Ellman said that other factors besides agricultural lobbying could also kneecap her measure. A November 2024 memo from Governor JB Pritzker's office directed all state agencies to oppose legislation that would add to Illinois' multibillion dollar budget shortfall. The state's department of natural resources estimated it will cost approximately $3 million to stand up the wetlands permitting program. The state of Illinois' budget for 2025 is more than $50 billion. Alex Gough, a press secretary for Pritzker, told Grist that the governor 'will carefully review this legislation, should it reach his desk.' But environmental advocates say preserving these ecosystems is paramount. 'We should be able to respond to rollbacks of the Clean Water Act that threaten our water quality here,' said Robert Hirschfeld, with the Illinois-based Prairie Rivers Network. Across the Mississippi River in Iowa, attempting to pass wetland protections hasn't been any easier. Today, only about 5 percent of Iowa's original wetlands still remain, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. New research from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that today, Iowa has about 630,000 acres of wetlands that likely fall under the Clean Water Act's current regulatory definitions. Still, the environmental organization determined that 18 to 97 percent of Iowan wetlands could be at risk of destruction in the aftermath of Sackett. In Iowa, the state Farm Bureau influenced the outcome of another bill that would have helped conserve certain wetlands, according to lawmakers. HSB 83, a measure introduced in January, would have made it easier for counties to finance projects reconnecting wetlands and floodplains and restoring winding bodies of water known as oxbow lakes as a means of mitigating flood risk. Typically, when counties borrow money by issuing bonds to do these kinds of major projects, voters must approve the debt. HSB 83 would have added wetland conservation to the list of essential county purposes for which leaders do not need to seek voter approval. The measure was introduced by State Representative Megan Jones, a Republican, whose district experienced severe flooding last summer. The bill never made it out of committee, and the legislative session ended earlier this month without it getting to a vote. Several organizations registered in support of the measure, according to the state legislature website, including the Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Farmers Union, an agricultural group that supports conservation efforts. But only one group registered in opposition to the bill, and that was the Iowa Farm Bureau. The organization 'had concerns that by allowing these projects, property taxes would increase on farmers,' said State Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat who supported the bill. After the Iowa Farm Bureau voiced its opposition at a committee hearing, according to Zabner, it became clear the bill would not have the votes to pass. 'They were the group that sunk it.' The Iowa Farm Bureau did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 'It's just their policy,' said Pam Mackey-Taylor, a lobbyist who represents the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, which supported the bill. The Iowa Farm Bureau doesn't 'like any farmland being taken out of production. They don't like those kinds of heavy-handed regulations, so to speak, affecting private property.' She also pointed out that many state legislators in Iowa are farmers themselves, and may not have wanted to 'go that far' with the measure this year. Zabner added that the flood mitigation measure could come back in the next legislative session. But, he said, 'I am very skeptical, if the Farm Bureau continues to oppose it, that it could get done, unfortunately.' The Illinois and Iowa Farm Bureaus are especially influential, according to Austin Frerick, a fellow at the Thurman Arnold Project at Yale University who wrote the book Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. The Iowa Farm Bureau reported $1.71 billion in assets in 2023 and spends hundreds of thousands on lobbying efforts every year, according to public disclosures. 'Illinois and Iowa are in a league of their own,' said Frerick. Hirschfeld, from the Prairie Rivers Network, argued that agribusiness interests like the Farm Bureau have the effect of blocking progressive environmental policy. He compared Iowa and Illinois, specifically — two states with incredibly different politics, but equally active Farm Bureaus. 'Iowa can be all red, top to bottom,' he said. Illinois, on the other hand, has a 'democratic supermajority.' But 'when it comes to ag policy, what is the difference?' If Illinois' wetland bill fails again, it might confirm his fears: 'There's just not a difference.' This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How Big Ag thwarted wetlands protections in Illinois and Iowa on May 27, 2025.
