Jackson County - CAFO Debate Cited in Political Fight
Jackson County has reshuffled it Board of Zoning Appeals, and some are calling foul. County council voted to replace one member with the former head of community group organized to oppose approval of an 8,000 head pig farm:
Council voted 4-3 Wednesday night to replace Councilwoman Debbie Hackman on the county plan commission with Councilman Richard Brackemyre, a former Redding Township trustee. Council also voted 5-2 to replace Gene Speaker of Hamilton Township as its representative on the county board of zoning appeals with Charlie Fox of Redding Township.. . . .Brackemyre said he opposes Talara Lykins’ 8,000-head hog farm planned in Redding Township, and Fox is a member of FAIR, a community grass-roots organization formed to oppose the Lykins farm. Fox was a primary speaker for FAIR earlier this fall when Lykins’ request came before the BZA. Speaker voted in support of that request, which was approved 3-1 after BZA members first deadlocked 2-2 during a meeting on Oct. 11.
Also out of Jackson county, a piece about the concerns facing the county over the legal fees involved in defending the county in lawsuits over zoning decisions, specifically, decision about the Lykins CAFO request: Link
I think this points to a real concern for rural Indiana’s future: CAFO supporters choose locations where they feel regulation is weak, and money is tight. The hope being that the county will tire of the fight. They are in this sense, environmental carpetbaggers. Other states with poor rural areas are experiencing the same prospect: Other views: Don’t allow big hog feeder to water down CAFO Regulations.
Thanks to Bob for the pointers on the Jackson County stories.
