The Des Moines Register took an editorial position in yesterday’s edition supporting the 4 in topsoil rule as it applies to new construction under the headline: “Don’t erode topsoil rule for new homes”.

The editorial notes:  “Last year, more than 140 Iowans wrote to the state asking that the four-inch rule be retained.  At the same time, just over 100 individuals — almost all of them employed by construction, development and real estate industries — wrote in opposition to the rule.  (A full 12 percent of those opponents are executives of Hubbell Homes and its affiliates.)”

The editorial closes by noting “[the four-inch rule] not only protects consumers from unwittingly buying properties that have been stripped of their topsoil, but also protects what is arguably Iowa’s single most valuable resource.  And without this rule individual homeowners, as well as our cities and counties, will incur costs that dwarf the expense associated with topsoil preservation.”