
Back on September 21, Bluestem posted in Becker County adopts one-year feedlot moratorium; White Earth Nation shuns CAFOs.
That post has been heavily read in the last week, and new reporting at Red Lake Nation News, the Detroit Lake Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio makes it clear that something's up. And that something involves plans by the industrial-scale Riverview Dairy system.
On Thursday, Red Lake Nation News published a press release White Earth RBC imposes moratorium on factory farm operations on the reservation:
WHITE EARTH, MINN. – Citing the Band's health and safety, water and land resources, and economic security being threatened by proposed factory farming operations on or near the reservation, the White Earth Reservation Business Committee has passed a resolution on Nov. 18 to impose a moratorium on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and Animal Feedlot Operations (AFOs) constituting environmental hazards.
There are several large factory farms around the edges of the reservation, and a massive 21,000-head dairy cattle feedlot has been proposed by Riverview LLP, just ¾ of a mile west of the reservation. The Riverview operation proposes to spread half of the manure it will produce on Reservation land. In addition, a new large hog feedlot has been proposed within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation in the southwest corner.
The White Earth Reservation includes 530 lakes, 300 miles of rivers and streams, 167,878 acres of wetlands and substantial groundwater resources contained in shallow, unconfined and deeper, layered aquifers.
The proposed dairy cattle operation alone would produce over 1 million pounds of manure per day. These extremely large factory farms also use high-capacity wells that pump tens of millions of gallons of water per year. The proposed dairy cattle operation has asked the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a permit to take 325 million gallons of water per year from the Wild Rice River, in addition to 40-50 million gallons per year from groundwater.
The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the Band sufficient time to undertake an interdisciplinary process of data collection, review, analysis and regulatory and technology development sufficient to regulate CAFOs and pollution hazard AFOs in a manner that protects the Band's core interests related to human health, natural resource protection and economic security.
The moratorium shall be in effect for two years from the date of adoption, unless terminated earlier or extended further by an ordinance duly adopted by the White Earth Reservation RBC.
Read the Google document of the White Earth Resolution 057-23-006 here.
For the DL Online, Nathan Bowe reported on Tuesday in White Earth sets two-year moratorium on new feedlots within its boundaries, including northern Becker County:
The White Earth Tribal Council has passed a two-year moratorium on confined animal feedlots within the boundaries of the reservation, which includes 12 of Becker County’s 37 townships.
The reservation also includes all of Mahnomen County and part of Clearwater County.
Citing concerns over health and safety, water and land resources, and economic security in White Earth “being threatened by proposed factory farming operations on or near the reservation,” the Tribal Council passed a resolution on Nov. 18 “to impose a moratorium on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and Animal Feedlot Operations (AFOs) constituting environmental hazards,” according to a White Earth news release.
“There are several large factory farms around the edges of the reservation,” it continues, “and a massive 21,000-head dairy cattle feedlot has been proposed by Riverview LLP, just three-quarters of a mile west of the Reservation.”
The Riverview operation proposes to spread half of the manure it will produce on reservation land. In addition, a new large swine feedlot has been proposed within the exterior boundaries of the reservation – in Spring Creek Township in Becker County.
Becker County earlier put a one-year moratorium on new feedlots, but approved the Spring Creek feedlot (pending approval of a road agreement) because the zoning request came in prior to the county moratorium.
White Earth says it has the right to protect water resources inside its boundaries, which include 530 lakes, 300 miles of rivers and streams, 167,878 acres of wetlands and substantial groundwater resources contained in shallow, unconfined and deeper, layered aquifers.
The proposed Riverview dairy cattle operation alone would produce over a million pounds of manure per day, according to the news release. “These extremely large factory farms also use high-capacity wells that pump tens of millions of gallons of water per year,” the release states. The proposed dairy cattle operation has asked the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a permit to take 325 million gallons of water per year from the Wild Rice River, in addition to 40-50 million gallons per year from groundwater.
The purpose of the two-year moratorium is to give White Earth time to carry out an interdisciplinary process of data collection, review, analysis and regulatory and technology development in order to regulate large feedlots “in a manner that protects the band’s core interests related to human health, natural resource protection and economic security,” according to the news release.
The two-year moratorium kicked in on Nov. 18, when it was approved 4-0 by the White Earth Reservation Business Committee, informally known as the tribal council. . . .
There's more at the DL. Heck, there's even an interesting back story.
On November 16 (two days before the tribal council voted, Bowe reported in Becker County commissioners try to run out the clock on White Earth involvement in pig feedlot:
If the proposal for a pig feedlot in Spring Creek Township was a football game, you could say the Becker County Board scrambled to avoid a blitz by the White Earth Legal Department on Tuesday.
Like a loose ball on the one-yard line, the township and the project applicants — local farmers Eric and Erica Zurn — have been fighting over the details of a road maintenance agreement, an agreement that was required by the county board when it approved the original conditional use permit for the feedlot.
The road agreement was left up to the two parties to work out, and could have made either the township, or the feedlot owners — or some combination of the two — responsible for all repairs and maintenance on 350th Street leading to the feedlot site.
That seemed to put the ball in the township’s hands, since it had final say over the road agreement. So when the Zurns were not able to come to an arrangement with the township, feedlot supporters on the county board tried an end-around.
They presented two road agreements for commissioner consideration, but the play was broken up when it came to light that neither road agreement had actually been approved by the township board, and that Spring Creek township supervisors had been blindsided by the action.
The township, it should be said, opposed the feedlot from the start, but did not have any ordinance in place to stop it.
The county also lacked an ordinance to cover large confined feedlots, like the one planned for Spring Creek Township, which is for 999 “animal-units.” That’s just under the 1,000 animal-unit threshold requiring an environmental assessment worksheet by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which regulates all feedlots in Becker County.
A pig under 300 pounds only counts as about a third of one “animal unit,” so the proposed feedlot will actually hold about 3,000 young pigs and breeding sows.
At any rate, the county approved the project on Sept. 6, but later slapped a moratorium on future requests until it can update its ordinance governing feedlots.
Meanwhile, the Zurns despaired of getting a favorable road agreement, and went to the county planning commission to amend their conditional use permit and remove the requirement for a road agreement.
Spring CreekTownship objected, but the planning commission gave the request the thumbs up – voting to ditch the road agreement, but requiring that the Zurns maintain the road during construction, and pay for any damage caused by heavy equipment.
That amended conditional use permit went back to the county board on Tuesday for final approval.
That’s where the White Earth Legal Department comes in.
During the open forum part of the county board meeting, White Earth Environmental Counsel Jamie Konopacky argued that the amended conditional use permit is actually a new CUP, and should be treated as such.
Because the feedlot is within White Earth boundaries, the county and state must bow to federal law, so “it was an error for the county to issue the conditional use permit (for a confined animal feedlot) that directly threatens tribal member health and welfare and tribal waters and other natural resources,” Konopacky said in a letter to the county.
Becker County, she said, should have consulted with the tribe and included conditions to meet its concerns — such as avoiding land application of manure that could lead to high phosphorus levels in the soil and high nitrate levels in the water. That in turn, she said, threatens wild rice, mussels and fish, and contributes to E. coli contamination.
The tribe also wants comprehensive water monitoring networks beneath confined animal feedlots and anywhere manure is applied to the land, which is a common way to dispose of feedlot manure. . . .
Read the rest at DL Online. Some visitors may remember reading about White Earth's own farming ambitions in Christopher Vondracek's mid-September reporting White Earth Reservation tribal college plants a farm, hopes for food independence.
And there's the Native Harvest owned by the non-profit White Earth Land Recovery Project.
Indeed, White Earth Nation citizens have ideas about food and land sovereignty--and are explore those visions in their community.
At Minnesota Public Radio, Dan Gunderson focuses on broader land sovereignty issues in White Earth Nation imposes moratorium on large livestock farms:
White Earth Nation leaders say proposed large farming operations threaten the Band’s health and safety, water and land resources, and economic security.
On Nov. 18, the tribal council approved a two-year moratorium on projects within the boundaries of the reservation, located in northwestern Minnesota.
Tribal officials said the ban will allow time for development of regulations for large animal feeding operations.
“We're going to do our due diligence here back home with our treaties and our sovereignty,” said Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks at a meeting to approve the moratorium.
Fairbanks said Minnesota agencies regulating such operations were informed about the White Earth Nation's plans for a moratorium.
“And we're going to do it in a good positive way to create our own laws and create what we want on this reservation, not what they want on this reservation,” he said.
Concern for wild rice
Tribal officials said the White Earth Reservation includes 530 lakes, 300 miles of rivers and streams, and substantial groundwater resources.
Fairbanks pointed to a specific large project he said would threaten to pollute some of those streams.
“And they flow directly into our Big Rice lake,” said Fairbanks. “So you’ve got to remember that we're protecting our waters but also we're protecting our manoomin. It's so important. They don't realize how important that our wild rice is to our economy here at White Earth.”
Tribal officials said they felt an urgency to act because of the increase in proposed large livestock operations on and near the Reservation. . . .
Increasing use of tribal authority
Tribal Nations have increasingly exercised regulatory authority, and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a proposal to revise the federal water quality regulations to better protect tribal rights under the federal Clean Water Act. The agency is currently taking public comments on the proposed regulatory changes.
Minnesota agencies are saying little about the White Earth moratorium.
The Department of Agriculture said in a statement that it “recognizes the sovereign rights of the White Earth Nation, including their right to implement a moratorium.” The agency said it looks forward to conversations with tribal officials about the issue.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Natural Resources have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Read the entire article at MPR.
Photo: Harvesting wild rice on the White Earth Nation's reservation, circa 2013. Via Thriving Earth Exchange's White Earth Nation: Water Quality page.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Recent Comments