CAFO Moratorium Bad for Randolph Co.
Why? Let’s ask the director of Randolph EDC, Greg Beumer:
Perception is reality. This moratorium sends a clear signal to the business world that Randolph County is not a friendly place to do business. You and I both know that’s not true, but that is the perception it creates. Let’s back away from CAFOs for a moment to find an example.
Link (Winchester News Gazette).
Beumer explains that the commissioners will be perceived as snubbing the powerful Ag businesses like Maxwell who have spent “millions” in the county to create “80 new jobs” in passing the CAFO ban. He goes on to offer an analogy in the popular field of wind farms:
If you were a top executive of a wind farm development company, would you invest $200 million dollars in Randolph County today to build a 100 megawatt wind farm? The question that would have to run through your mind would be, “What if I get half of my turbines built and suddenly a group of interested citizens voice opposition to my wind farm?” They might go to the commissioners and say, “We don’t like these wind turbines, they’re too big, they’re the wrong color and they use too much of our air. Air is a precious commodity and we need a study to see what impact these wind turbines are having on our air and the air for our children.” The county commissioners might agree, saying that, indeed, we do need an air study. While that’s taking place, let’s put a halt to all wind turbine construction in the county. I think you get the point.
Basically, what Beumer is complaining about we would call “representative democracy:” Corporations can doll out cash, but cannot vote, a “group of interested citizens” can.
