From: "Pope, Karen O." <POPEKJ@uwec.edu> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:09:58 -0600 Subject: FEB 23 in EC- factory farm hearings! Message-ID: <4F19260FE7477F4DA03B00B62E7F6390798F43DAA7@CHERRYPEPSI.uwec.edu>
I think this fits under the heading of effort to determine local justice ,
fyi.
Plus we all live, eat, drink and breathe here.
Karen Osborne Pope
Associate Professor Emerita, McIntyre Library
University of WI - Eau Claire
popekj@uwec.edu
cell 715 529 0272
________________________________________
From: WisPeaceInfo@yahoogroups.com [WisPeaceInfo@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of jody Slocum [jodyslocum@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2010 6:03 PM
To: Red Cedar Peace Initiative
Subject: [WisPeaceInfo] factory farm hearings!
I got this from Land Stewardship Project
Hearings in Eau Claire this Tuesday Feb 23rd!!
Livestock Siting Law Hearings: Protecting our Land, Water, and Family Farms
!"
Dear Matt & Sara,
The following is an opportunity to stand up for family farms and the
land at public hearings over the next two weeks in Wisconsin. The
hearings have to do with the livestock siting law and are an
opportunity for people concerned about the state weakening rules about
new factory farm construction and expansion to have their voices
heard. We encourage you to go, to speak out and to submit written
comments.
Each session is set for 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
Eau Claire: Tuesday, Feb. 23, Town of Washington Town Hall, 5750 Old
Town Hall Road, 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Oshkosh: Tuesday, March 2, Winnebago County UW-Extension, J.P.
Coughlin Building, Center, 625 E. County Road
Y, Rooms A&B, 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m
Wausau: Wednesday, March 3, Marathon County UW-Extension, 212 River
Drive, 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Factory farms are increasing in size and number in Wisconsin and
threaten our natural resources, public health, and family farms.
Wisconsin’s Dept of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)
is holding a series of listening sessions on the Livestock Facility
Siting regulations. The Livestock Siting Law gives polluting factory
farms the upper hand because it effectively strips local governments
of their authority to protect local land, water resources, and quality
of life. In addition to undermining local control, the law does not
replace the scrutiny of local officials with protective measures at
the state level. The result is that the farmlands, rural communities,
rivers, lakes, streams and that we love and on which we rely for our
livelihoods are threatened.
Concerns about the livestock siting law include:
1. Doesn’t allow communities to prevent the siting of large livestock
facilities in locations where natural resources are uniquely
vulnerable to contamination;
2. Gives factory farms the upper hand against local communities trying
to protect their land and water, and against Wisconsin’s homegrown
family farms, the backbone of many of our communities;
3. Has inadequate standards to protect local air quality, water
quality, or water quantity;
4. Puts local communities at the mercy of an ineffective WPDES permit progr
am;
5. Is too arbitrary, vague, confusing or complicated to implement;
6. Prevents local communities from collecting the fees necessary to
run an effective livestock siting program.
If you have found problems with livestock siting regulations or want
to join the movement to stop factory farms from bullying their way
into our communities, now is the time to speak up!
The purpose of these listening sessions is to gather comments on what
government officials, producers, rural landowners, and others think
about the state's rule related to the expansion or establishment of
large livestock operations. If you would like to talk about your
experience or perspective, comments can be made at the listening
sessions or in writing. Once comments are collected, DATCP staff will
present a summary of the comments and a plan of action to the DATCP
Board and possibly the legislature.
At the start of each session, staff will provide a short presentation
on the current livestock siting permit process and ATCP 51. Attendees
who complete an appearance card will have opportunity to share their
comments in writing or verbally or by both.
For those who cannot attend the sessions, written comments can be sent
to the department and they carry the same weight as comments provided
at the listening sessions. Send comments to Mike Murray by March 10.
Comments can be sent via email to michael.murray@wisconsin.gov, faxed
to 608-224-4615 or mailed to DATCP, Attention: Mike Murray, P.O. Box
8911, Madison WI 53708-8911.
If you have any questions or plan to attend, contact Wisconsin LSP
member Matt Urch at 608-675-3766 or indecisionridge@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Matt Urch
Sarah Lesnar
Farmer & LSP member
LSP Policy Staff
608-675-3766
612-722-6377
------------------------------------
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