Senator Paul has introduced SB 50 which establishes a three year moratorium on the start of construction of concentrated animal feeding operations.
This sort of legislation has been introduced in the past, and I don’t know that there is particular reason to think it will gain much steam this year. But I am frequently wrong about such things.
I predict this will quickly fall victim to budget matters, though it would probably be a very popular bill in many areas of Indiana. It’s not hard to be against large inhumane and most importantly smelly mass animal farms. However, the proprietors of said farms probably hold some sway with legislators searching for tax revenues.
Not sure I see the direct link to the budget.
On the one hand, Daniels proposed making Indiana CAFO central in the US by 2020, and promptly made significant strides towards that goal. Despite the outcry from some regions, the bulk of the challenges failed, and Daniels was vindicated in his reelection. Does anyone care about these farms anymore?
On the other hand, Bush’s new CAFO rules take the mega farms out of the NPDES permitting process – giving IDEM and the state no role in approving them anyway. With IDEM giving up its enforcement division, its hard to see what impact any regulations in this area would have . . . .
Not sure that Paul’s resubmission of the same proposal year after year is a strategy designed to win the day. Seems more like something to keep the angry neighbors back home off your back . . . .
What ever became of that “study commission” from last session?
Some interim study stuff on CAFO’s here and here from the Environmental Quality Study Committee.
Apparently they recommended adoption of the confined feeding good character disclosure and enforcement requirements contained in SB 431-2007, amended to allow IDEM to consider a permit applicant’s compliance history outside the United States.