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Friday, December 28, 2007
Environment - More on "Randolph County could zone 220,000 acres for CAFOs"
Updating this ILB entry from Nov. 25th, about a proposed new "intensive agricultural district " that would occupy 75.88 % of the county, Seth Slabaugh of the Muncie Star-Press reports today:
WINCHESTER -- The Area Planning Commission approved a controversial ordinance Thursday night to allow concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in a new intensive agricultural district covering about 220,000 acres of Randolph County.Last month, the commission spent more than two hours defending the proposed ordinance at a meeting attended by dozens of opponents living in rural areas.
The opponents, concerned about air and water pollution and loss of property values, accused the commission of "choosing pigs over people" and turning 75 percent of the 289,813-acre county into an industrial park for CAFOs.
On Thursday night, the meeting room at the Randolph Center for Family Opportunity quickly filled with 50 spectators, mostly opponents of the ordinance. About fifty others waiting in the hallway presented a petition asking for the meeting to be postponed because they couldn't hear the proceedings. * * *
Fred Luddington argued unsuccessfully to include odor-control "best management practices" in the ordinance. He then suggested that Randolph County just get rid of CAFOs, to which farmer Drew Cleveland responded, "We should get rid of gun shops, too."
Luddington owns a gun shop in Parker City.
Union City Mayor-elect Bryan Conklin convinced fellow commission members to increase the minimum distance between CAFOs and dwellings to 1,324 feet and distance between CAFOs and schools to a half-mile.
He was unsuccessful in convincing the commission to increase the distance between communities and CAFOs beyond the 1-mile limit set in the draft ordinance.
The proposed ordinance will be forwarded to county commissioners for final action.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 28, 2007 08:09 AM
Posted to Environment