Abandoned CAFOs

Correspondent Rick Hartmann in Dallas County writes:

There is currently a bill making its way through the legislature that would create a loophole for factory farms to store overflow manure or sick hogs in abandoned CAFOs. CAFOs would be able to “close” their factories, exempting themselves from a manure management plan and regulation, but continue to use or rent the site for manure store. For the average size factory, the amount would exceed many small towns annual waste production. This bill creates a highly foreseeable environmental hazard.

The four main reasons that are being discussed as to why this is so dangerous:

1. The older facilities that would store this manure have not had regular maintenance. They tend to deteriorate more rapidly when abandoned - equipment rusts, freezing and thaw cycles are more extreme, etc.
2. Pumping large amounts of manure from pits, transporting them to the mothballed facilities, pumping them into the older storage and then out again, greatly increases the chances of spills.
3. Allowing sick hogs to be stored in abandoned facilities without a manure management plan or animal counts means an unregulated CAFO, only with sicker hogs.
4. We currently have some of the most degraded water in our state's history. A large factor has been attributed to CAFOs. If hog factory operators can't properly manage the enormous amounts of manure being generated at these small, site specific locations, they should not be allowed to dump them unregulated at abandoned facilities.

Let's take some action. Many people are calling Senator Gronstal this Monday. We believe he has the power to kill this bill, lets encourage him to do so.

Action: Call Senator Gronstal.

• Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371
• Senator Gronstal's Office: 515-281-3901

You can say: Your name and that you would like him to not bring HF512/SF418 - the abandoned CAFO bill - up for a vote on the floor.

Feel free to call the Senator from your district and ask they vote 'no' if it does.