Local Control, Energy to be Hot Topics at Statehouse

The Des Moines Register has a story about the environmental issues that will be debated this year.

The actions they might take could affect the way Iowans get electricity for their homes, how much ethanol they use, and the quality of the water in lakes and streams. This year's legislation could change the condition of state parks, the income of bottle and can redemption centers, and the restrictions on the livestock industry.

Most of the story focuses on local control of the siting of hog confinements.

The livestock debate is raging in Iowa. Hog-confinement neighbors complain more than ever about odors. They fear confinement emissions hurt their health. Groups such as the Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers have worked with hundreds of Iowa farmers to promote techniques aimed at reducing odors and water pollution, but the complaints continue.

Newly appointed director of the Department of Natural Resources, Rich Leopold isn't sold on local control.

Leopold said county zoning may not necessarily be the answer. "Local control is a tool, not an end," he said. "It's not, 'get local control and the problems are over.' We're talking about air and quality, property rights and nuisance." There may be multiple ways to fight those problems, including enforcing the existing regulations, Leopold said.

I recived this email from the Rapid Response Network a few days ago. It has some recommendations to improve local control.

• Local Control- Protect citizens and not just the public. Declare a Moratorium on all new construction until counties are given authority to site any facility with a two mile radius of neighbor approval before any can be issued a permit.
• Classify any operation, or total ownership of over 2,500 head as industrial and tax and regulate as any other industry. Ownership of more than 2,500 requires a permit for any size of confinement.
• All production and manure management plans and records must be made available for public review at the county court house.

The second point of classifying large hog confinements as industrial makes sense because that is what are. I heard that a hog produces 4 times as much waste as a human. Would we let a city of 10,000 people go with a sewer treatment plant?

**Update**
Here's a new Iowa blog called Iowa, the Nation, and the World that has a good post up with some stats and information on hog confinements in Iowa. Here's one that I did not know...

According to Iowa State University Extension estimated profits for each hog sold have declined from over $44 from November 2004 to just over $8 by November 2006. Pork experts warn of losses as soon as the current winter, especially due to high corn prices.