July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Will CAFO ball stop bouncing soon? (04/27/07)
Editorial
Maybe - just maybe - the ball will soon stop bouncing.
For years now, the idea of implementing additional local requirements for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Jay County has been bouncing from one group to another.
It bounced from the Jay County Commissioners to a study group to the Jay County Planning Commission, then back to the county commissioners where it stalled for a bit, then back to the planning commission, then to Ball State University, now back to the planning commission, and soon back to the county commissioners.
There may have been a couple of other bounces along the way, but you get the picture.
Meanwhile, local officials have been dealing with decidedly mixed signals from state government.
At first, state officials bristled at the notion of any additional local regulations; they said they wanted to avoid the development of a patchwork set of rules across Indiana. So local officials agreed and looked to Indianapolis for guidance.
None was forthcoming. Instead, in a dizzying turnaround, state bureaucrats now say this is a matter best handled locally, although ultimate authority rests with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
In some ways, the state's ambivalence is understandable.
That's because the growth in CAFOs isn't a statewide phenomenon. Instead, it's remarkably localized to Jay, Randolph, Wayne, and a handful of other counties.
State Rep. Bill Davis, R-Portland, and State Sen. Allen Paul, R-Richmond, have both indicated it's hard to get their colleagues in Indianapolis to focus on the issue because - so far - it just affects a small chunk of the state.
Even now, it's not clear whether the state legislature will act. Senate Bill 431, which places some limits on CAFOs and establishes annual state inspections, has yet to be passed.
So where do local proposals stand? As of this week, the study group's original recommendations are going back to Jay County Commissioners for action.
Those proposals are far from a cure-all. As usual with most regulations, they'll probably fail to please folks on both sides of the issue.
They call for a 750-foot setback from any residence not owned by the operator, 1,250 feet from a church, business, school, commercial recreational area or any public building, and 1,550 feet from any residential subdivision.
The current setback is 500 feet from a residence and 1,000 feet from a church or other public building.
The proposal would also require the operator file the plans for a proposed CAFO as they will be presented to IDEM with the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department.
A number of the members of the Jay County Planning Commission are CAFO operators themselves, and they've given their backing to the proposals.
That support acknowledges the CAFO landscape could change again in the near future.
Jay County's CAFO growth has all been in the realm of poultry and hog production, and commission members know it may only be a matter of time before a large-scale dairy operation - the sort that have run into serious environmental questions around the state - decides to locate here. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
For years now, the idea of implementing additional local requirements for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Jay County has been bouncing from one group to another.
It bounced from the Jay County Commissioners to a study group to the Jay County Planning Commission, then back to the county commissioners where it stalled for a bit, then back to the planning commission, then to Ball State University, now back to the planning commission, and soon back to the county commissioners.
There may have been a couple of other bounces along the way, but you get the picture.
Meanwhile, local officials have been dealing with decidedly mixed signals from state government.
At first, state officials bristled at the notion of any additional local regulations; they said they wanted to avoid the development of a patchwork set of rules across Indiana. So local officials agreed and looked to Indianapolis for guidance.
None was forthcoming. Instead, in a dizzying turnaround, state bureaucrats now say this is a matter best handled locally, although ultimate authority rests with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
In some ways, the state's ambivalence is understandable.
That's because the growth in CAFOs isn't a statewide phenomenon. Instead, it's remarkably localized to Jay, Randolph, Wayne, and a handful of other counties.
State Rep. Bill Davis, R-Portland, and State Sen. Allen Paul, R-Richmond, have both indicated it's hard to get their colleagues in Indianapolis to focus on the issue because - so far - it just affects a small chunk of the state.
Even now, it's not clear whether the state legislature will act. Senate Bill 431, which places some limits on CAFOs and establishes annual state inspections, has yet to be passed.
So where do local proposals stand? As of this week, the study group's original recommendations are going back to Jay County Commissioners for action.
Those proposals are far from a cure-all. As usual with most regulations, they'll probably fail to please folks on both sides of the issue.
They call for a 750-foot setback from any residence not owned by the operator, 1,250 feet from a church, business, school, commercial recreational area or any public building, and 1,550 feet from any residential subdivision.
The current setback is 500 feet from a residence and 1,000 feet from a church or other public building.
The proposal would also require the operator file the plans for a proposed CAFO as they will be presented to IDEM with the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department.
A number of the members of the Jay County Planning Commission are CAFO operators themselves, and they've given their backing to the proposals.
That support acknowledges the CAFO landscape could change again in the near future.
Jay County's CAFO growth has all been in the realm of poultry and hog production, and commission members know it may only be a matter of time before a large-scale dairy operation - the sort that have run into serious environmental questions around the state - decides to locate here. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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