Demand an Environmental Impact Statement on Proposed Fillmore County Factory Hog Farm
On Tuesday, Dec. 4, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is holding a public meeting on the proposed Catalpa, LLC factory hog farm. The meeting will be at the Mabel Community Center (201 South Main Street, Mabel, Minn.). MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine will be there to hear comments.
Catalpa LLC is proposing a massive 4,980-sow swine farrowing facility in Fillmore County’s Newburg Township. This factory farm would generate 7.3 million gallons of liquid manure a year. It would also use 8.8 million gallons of the area’s groundwater annually, for a total water consumption of 220 million gallons over 25 years. It is proposed in Minnesota’s karst area, which is composed of porous limestone that creates sinkholes and disappearing springs. This geology can allow surface pollution to enter the groundwater in a matter of hours.
This is the second MPCA public meeting on this proposed factory farm, which is undergoing a mandatory environmental review and has been strongly opposed by local farmers and residents. Over 700 public comments have poured into the MPCA, and we are demanding an in-depth Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this proposal. The need for an EIS is clear: analysis of the public record confirms an Environmental Impact Statement is required on the proposed Fillmore County factory hog farm.
Read this letter-to-the-editor from hog farmer and Land Stewardship Project member Dayna Burtness as to why we need an EIS and what is at stake: “Tests show Catalpa hog barns could cause ‘catastrophic sinkhole collapse.’ “
Take Action! Join us at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Mabel Community Center (201 South Main Street in Mabel) for the MPCA public meeting on the environmental review of the proposed Catalpa LLC factory hog farm. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., but we are asking people to arrive early to get an “EIS YES” sticker, sign up to speak or ask questions and sign our petition. If you plan to attend, please contact the Land Stewardship Project’s Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or via e-mail.