(Arnolds Park)– A standing room only crowd attended an informational meeting Saturday in Arnolds Park on a new scoring system counties will be able to use in the placement of large animal confinement operations.
Robin Pruisner, Coordinator of Animal Feeding Operations through the Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s Environmental Protection Division was the keynote speaker. She says the system, known as the “master matrix”, goes in effect March 1st. Pruisner says it will be up to each county’s board of supervisors to decide whether or not they want to use the system. It gives producers extra points if they go above and beyond D-N-R requirements. For the counties that do NOT adopt the matrix, applicants will simply have to follow rules established by the D-N-R.
Critics of the matrix say it still doesn’t give counties enough control, though. Pruisner admits the D-N-R could still approve a permit even though a county may recommend it be denied. Pruisner says that’s because the D-N-R doesn’t have jurisdiction over key issues such as odor and flies.
On a related note, Pruisner says the D-N-R has adopted a new rule that requires counties to notify the public whenever they receive a notice that a permit for a large confinement has been applied for. Pruisner says it’s a direct result of the Dickinson county board of supervisor’s failure to notify the public when they received an application notice regarding a four thousand head hog lot proposed near Horseshoe Bend County Park. As a result, the D-N-R has agreed to set the clock back to the public notification phase of the permit process. A public hearing is set for October 29th. Pruisner says the permit that was granted the Fairmont, Minnesota company will remain valid until or unless the D-N-R re-opens the case as a result of any critical concerns identified through the public comment process.
Pruisner says this is the first time ever the D-N-R has reopened the public comment process on a permit application. And she says the new rule will prohibit this from happening again.
