Post by jonsdigs on Jul 31, 2007 7:51:39 GMT -5
Feedlot expansion gets county go-ahead
By Mark Sommerhauser
Winona Daily News
.July 31, 2007
The stink may be clearing from recent debates over feedlot expansions in Winona County.
County officials say commissioners’ go-ahead for a Lewiston feedlot expansion last week could mark a constructive shift from a permitting process that’s been fraught with recent conflict.
Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli and three others voted 4-1 last Tuesday to approve a conditional-use permit for the expansion, with Jerry Heim opposed.
The approval capped a three-month process for Lewiston dairy farmer Bill Rowekamp, who plans to expand his dairy operation from 200 to about 350 cows.
In voting for the permit, Voegeli lifted his vow — made in May — not to approve any new conditional-use permits until his concerns with the process were addressed.
Voegeli has criticized the county’s existing policies on conditions for all permits — not just those governing feedlots. He says the conditions are often poorly developed and inconsistently enforced.
But the Second District commissioner now says he sees “significant progress” being made by the county’s planning department, planning staff and other board members.
“They’re going to have, I think, a real conversation,” Voegeli said.
Debate on the Rowekamp permit centered on neighbors’ complaints about odor problems at the site. A home next to Rowekamp’s operation was built before the enactment of current laws that now would require more distance between the two.
Rowekamp said at a July 3 county board meeting that he felt his request “was being held hostage” by the county’s ongoing debate over conditional-use permits.
Commissioner Marcia Ward noted that the Rowekamp permit was the only of four such requests that didn’t receive quick approval after they were submitted in April.
Still, Ward argues that environmental concerns — while valuable — must be weighed against the economic implications of stifling the growth of local agricultural operations.
“There’s a balance of how we protect what we’ve got, and how we allow operations without driving people out,” Ward said.
Voegeli and other officials have advocated for greater focus on environmental concerns when drawing up permit conditions. The area’s unique karst geology creates an unusually high potential for contact between surface-level pollutants and groundwater, Voegeli argues.
Full Story
By Mark Sommerhauser
Winona Daily News
.July 31, 2007
The stink may be clearing from recent debates over feedlot expansions in Winona County.
County officials say commissioners’ go-ahead for a Lewiston feedlot expansion last week could mark a constructive shift from a permitting process that’s been fraught with recent conflict.
Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli and three others voted 4-1 last Tuesday to approve a conditional-use permit for the expansion, with Jerry Heim opposed.
The approval capped a three-month process for Lewiston dairy farmer Bill Rowekamp, who plans to expand his dairy operation from 200 to about 350 cows.
In voting for the permit, Voegeli lifted his vow — made in May — not to approve any new conditional-use permits until his concerns with the process were addressed.
Voegeli has criticized the county’s existing policies on conditions for all permits — not just those governing feedlots. He says the conditions are often poorly developed and inconsistently enforced.
But the Second District commissioner now says he sees “significant progress” being made by the county’s planning department, planning staff and other board members.
“They’re going to have, I think, a real conversation,” Voegeli said.
Debate on the Rowekamp permit centered on neighbors’ complaints about odor problems at the site. A home next to Rowekamp’s operation was built before the enactment of current laws that now would require more distance between the two.
Rowekamp said at a July 3 county board meeting that he felt his request “was being held hostage” by the county’s ongoing debate over conditional-use permits.
Commissioner Marcia Ward noted that the Rowekamp permit was the only of four such requests that didn’t receive quick approval after they were submitted in April.
Still, Ward argues that environmental concerns — while valuable — must be weighed against the economic implications of stifling the growth of local agricultural operations.
“There’s a balance of how we protect what we’ve got, and how we allow operations without driving people out,” Ward said.
Voegeli and other officials have advocated for greater focus on environmental concerns when drawing up permit conditions. The area’s unique karst geology creates an unusually high potential for contact between surface-level pollutants and groundwater, Voegeli argues.
Full Story