Issue that can't be ignored (10/29/07)

Last year, when the Indiana General Assembly convened in Indianapolis, elected representatives from the east central part of the state were in for a surprise.

All of them assumed, based upon what they were hearing from their constituents, that the issue of how to balance farm interests and environmental concerns when it came to large-scale livestock projects would be high on the agenda.

But it wasn't.

Instead, the lawmakers - of both parties - quickly found out that most of Hoosierland didn't care at all about the issue. It hadn't landed in their laps, the way it had for east central Indiana legislators, so it might as well not exist.

Those who had thought they'd play Paul Revere on the issue found the rest of the legislature deaf.

For whatever reason, when large-scale livestock came to Indiana - particularly where hogs were concerned - it happened on a localized rather than broad basis.

As a result, regional lawmakers who tried to interest their brethren in the issue ran into blank stares.

Even now, it's safe to say that legislators from the Terre Haute area or down around Evansville don't see what the fuss is about.

And that - really - is the challenge that environmentalists and neighbors of giant hog farms face.

How do you take an issue that's ultimately very local - when does one property owner's right to do business intrude on another property owners quality of life - and make it something relevant to the entire state?

And is the state of Indiana better served with a patchwork quilt of local regulations rather than a consistent, statewide set of rules connected to vigorous and equally consistent enforcement? In other words, how do local lawmakers manage to convince their peers that what may look like a local issue is truly a statewide issue, meriting a state government response?

There's a good chance that, given the extent to which reforming the property tax system will dominate the agenda, nothing will happen next year.

But one of these days - sooner, we'd hope, than later - the Indiana General Assembly is going to have to focus on the issue. It's simply too big for local band-aids to be sufficient. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]