MORRIS, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today sharply criticized the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) decision to allow Riverview LLP’s massive West River Dairy expansion to move forward without requiring a full environmental impact statement (EIS). If approved, the project would expand the operation from 7,855 cows to 18,855 cows, making it the largest dairy facility and largest concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Minnesota.
“I am frustrated that the MPCA has decided not to mandate an EIS for the West River Dairy Expansion Project,” said Carrie Redden, a Stevens County livestock farmer and LSP member. “It is especially disappointing because of the harmful precedent that it sets. With this decision, the MPCA — an agency with an objective mission to protect the environment — has shown to be of the opinion that having over 26,000 animal units in one facility does not have the potential for significant environmental effects.”
The MPCA’s decision follows a public comment period on the Environmental Assessment Worksheet and draft feedlot permit for the proposed expansion. LSP and community members have repeatedly urged the agency to require a full EIS because of the scale of the proposal and its potential impacts on water resources, nearby communities and independent livestock producers. Public concern about the proposal has been overwhelming. More than 1,400 people submitted official public comments to the MPCA, and 1,140 people signed LSP’s petition calling for a full EIS. In recent weeks, media outlets across the state and region have raised questions about the project’s potential environmental, economic and community impacts.
According to MPCA project materials, the proposal will use 319 million gallons of water per year and require 250 million gallons of liquid manure storage. LSP has warned that a facility of this size warrants the most thorough review available under Minnesota law.
“The public has asked clear, reasonable questions that should be answered before any permits are issued,” said Sean Carroll, LSP’s policy director. “The MPCA’s decision does not make those questions go away. It simply means the responsibility now falls even more squarely on local elected officials to stand up for the people and resources of Stevens County.”
Although the MPCA declined to order an EIS, the Stevens County Board, through its permitting process, still has the authority over whether the West River Dairy expansion goes forward. The Board is expected to take up the proposal sometime this summer. LSP will continue working with members and local residents to ensure community voices are heard at the county level, said Carroll.
“For decades, rural communities have relied on local decision-makers to protect their land, water and way of life when state regulators fall short,” he said. “LSP members have been part of more than 40 successful local campaigns to stop factory farms, and we know that people organizing together at the local level can make a difference.”
-30-
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis. More information is available at landstewardshipproject.org.