In Minnesota environmentalists back on their heels after election defeat: House GOP is eager to scale back environmental regulations that hinder economic growth, Star Tribune reporter Patrick Coolican cites House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee Denny McNamara in a discussion of the Riverview Dairy case:
The issue drawing some of the most passionate response on both sides is the status of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency [MPCA] Citizens Board. That’s the board of Minnesotans appointed by the governor that can step in and make permitting decisions on controversial projects. Republicans and their business allies are openly discussing eliminating it or restricting its authority.
They still seethe about a board decision last year requiring Baker Dairy to obtain an environmental-impact statement for a proposed 9,000-head operation near Chokio. An environmental-impact statement provides a comprehensive review of the potential environmental impacts, but takes more time and money. Rep. Denny McNamara, the Hastings Republican who is chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee, said the operation would use state-of-the-art technology to prevent pollution, and he said he expects to hear legislation on the future of the citizens review board.
It's misleading for McNamara to focus on "state-of-the-art technology" preventing pollution, when the findings of fact by the Citizens Board doesn't particularly focus on "preventing pollution," but rather on issues with groundwater and available acreage for manure management brought to light by the application. Check out points #8 and #9 in the finding of fact:
And in the DNR Water Resources Memo dated May 16, 2014 on the proposed new 9,000 head dairy, that generated the concerns about groundwater, clipped from the larger set of documents (pdf download here) the agency put up for public comment, there's the genesis of the board's concern about groundwater (bold in original):
Because of the existing and projected water level decreases in the production wells and the nearby DNR observation well, DNR is concerned about the sustainability of the groundwater use in this area.
Here's the memo:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Ecological and Water Resources, Memo on Baker Dairy
Neither of these issues--adequate acreage for spreading/injecting manure and sustainable groundwater--are environmental problems that will be solved by the operation using "state-of-the-art technology to prevent pollution," as McNamara told Coolican.
One wonders whether McNamara actually read the documents publicly available in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizen Board archives.
The more one looks to the Citizen Board's decision, the more the Republican House members' objections this single case of asking for additional and reasonable environmental review looks like a dairy industry talking point for taking away citizens' rights to comment and petition.
Photo: Denny McNamara (R-Hastings), via Locally Grown Northfield.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen P.O. Box 108, Maynard MN 56260) or use the paypal button below:
Email subscribers can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen at gmail.com as recipient.
Comments