What follows is a report on the efforts to get some legislation that requires responsible operation of the confined animal feeding operations in Indiana.
H.B. 1267 was authored by Rep. Dave Cheatham, D-North Vernon. This bill required all CAFO owners to bury their dead animals completely or if in compost, they were required to cover the compost area and secure it from animals. This simple requirement would have prevented neighbors from finding dead animal parts in their yards.
This is indeed a public health hazard because there have been dead body parts found in waterways also. It seemed like a very common-sense approach to a serious problem. However, even though citizens traveled on very slick roads to testify and bring their pictures of animals found in their yards plus walked down very slick sidewalks in a cold wind to get to the hearing (only lobbyists and employees can use the tunnels, which I suspect were paid for by taxpayers’ money, because they keep the door locked with no security entrance) it was not common sense at all. After the bill was presented, several members of the committee really made, what I felt, was a mockery of the issue. They talked about Muffy the cat dying, road kill, etc. Even though I mentioned that while road kill can cause problems, nature has provided buzzards that will take care of the problem, but 200 dead hogs lying in a pile is not a balance of nature. Rep. Phillip Pflum, D-Milton, and Cheatham stood by the citizens, but the bill did not pass out of committee.
S.B. Bill 24, authored by Sen. Johnny Nugent, R-Lawrenceburg, would have created a buffer zone of two miles around our state parks and reservoirs. This would have allowed anyone who had a CAFO to be grandfathered in. This bill would have prevented manure from being spread in the 2-mile buffer zone. Why did we need this bill and the companion bill H.B. 1161 authored by Pflum and coauthored by Rep. Tom Saunders, R-Lewisville? We need to protect the 24 state parks and nine reservoirs that were included.
Our water must be kept clean, and two miles would give nature the time to clean some pollutants and pathogens from the water. At the present time we have more than 800 impaired waterways because of E.coli in the state.
In recent weeks, I have received call after call about producers spreading manure on frozen ground and near creeks. Producers have brought manure to Wayne County by the tractor-trailer load and dumped on frozen sloped ground with no regard for the effects on waterways. Calls have been made to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and also of Feb. 3, I have received no response.
Tourism is a vital part of the economy of Indiana. The revenue was up last year at the state parks. The surrounding businesses that thrive because of the state parks and reservoirs need the support of the state. However, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce opposed this bill that has direct impact on the small businesses. History shows that three of the most active times for spreading manure is near Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Would you return to a park if you had to endure the stench of the application of manure?
The Senate version was not given a hearing in the Senate Energy and Environmental Committee chaired by Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield. S.B. 144 authored by Sen. Allen Paul, R-Richmond, met the same fate. This was a moratorium on CAFO until regulations could be made to prevent the problems we now have. An agriculture newsletter had a video of a lobbyist from a national farm organization in which he stated that Sen. Gard had said she would not hear the bill. Why are the national organizations so opposed to regulations? It would seem they would better serve their members by supporting best management practices and working with the bad actors to clean up the pollution, plus work more with the farmers who want to produce local food.
As I spent time at the Statehouse, it was interesting to watch the lobbyists at work, and work they did against H.B. 1161. The bill was defeated in the House.
The primary election is coming up in May. Candidates for state offices are now filing. Please talk with them and see what their agenda is on this important issue that affects all Hoosiers.
Go to www.in.gov and see how the current legislators voted. Find out who bankrolls their campaigns. We can and must not allow the lobbyists to completely run Indiana.
BARBARA SHA COX Richmond
