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1. Educate Yourself 3. Talk to Your Neighbors 5. Report Strong Odors 6. Support JFAN 7. Join Iowa Citizens for
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To receive news on Jefferson County Factory Farm developments, please join the JFAN mailing list.
Bill History for HF 77 - A Good Local Control Bill [Editor's Note: Please let your governor and legislators know you support this bill. This bill returns control to the county level regarding CAFOs. It is opposed by agribusiness interests but is clearly in the best interest of Iowa residents. Contact Governor & legislators.] The best local control bill introduced in the past was Senate File (SF) 64 introduced by Senator Kibbie. The bill would have given counties the right to develop a siting ordinance for the construction or expansion of confinement feeding operations in which swine are kept. The bill would apply to permitted confinement facilities (now facilities with 2,500 head at any one time in total confinement). This is a good local control bill that actually allows counties to have the ability to say yes or no to factory farms in their communities. A person who constructs an animal feeding operation without a permit is subjected to a penalty of $5,000 for each day of the violation. This is the strongest local control bill that has been introduced in recent years. CCI members support this bill and want to see it reintroduced in this session. Local governments are much more accountable to grassroots residents than state government. As opposed to the Master Matrix, this bill actually gives counties the ability to say yes or no to factory farms. CCI members push for strong water quality action - and WIN! Iowa Citizens push DNR for strong water quality action! The DNR is requiring a 2,895-head dairy confinement, Plymouth Dairy, to obtain a CWA permit as part of an enforcement action that the agency is taking. According to DNR documents, Plymouth Dairy had two separate manure spills in 2004 within about a month of each other. The DNR asked their Environmental Protection Commission to refer the dairy factory to the Attorney General's office for tougher enforcement and included the requirement for the permit as part of the referral. The EPC voted to refer the facility. "We commend the EPC for taking this very important and long over due action. We all know that factory farms are causing a problem in Iowa. They are responsible for the majority of manure spills in our state. It is time for our state to crack down and hold them accountable," stated Dick Bird, a CCI member from Keosauqua, IA. Members from Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Environmental Integrity Project all spoke out at the meeting. In addition to supporting the EPC's action to refer Plymouth Dairy and require a Clean Water Act permit, the group turned in more than 2,000 petitions calling on the state to issue these permits to all factory farms who have had a manure spill. The group also turned in an additional 1,000 petitions at the August EPC meeting. "This seems to be a clear case where a factory farm has violated the Clean Water Act and polluted our water. Requiring them to get this permit makes a lot of sense. We believe the DNR needs to require these permits for all factory farms that spill manure into our water," state Barb Kalbach, a family farmer and CCI member from Dexter, IA. Iowa CCI members, along with the Environmental Integrity Project and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club have been calling on the state to issue strong Clean Water Act permits for a year and a half. With these permits, the DNR could set stronger rules to protect the waters of the state. This would include protecting areas that are at high risk or for operators who have a history of manure spills. Today's action is the first step to bring all factory farns in Iowa into compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. Hog confinements built at a record pace The Attorney General settles with Smithfield See the Des Moines Register's story from Saturday's (9/17/05) paper: Critics Question air-quality readings near farms
'Order Eater' Handles Environmental Challenges Read the full story:
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