Environmental advocates CAFOs aren’t just a NIMBY issue / Public News Service

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a month to respond in court to a new lawsuit over a factory farm in the central part of the state.

Those leading the legal fight say the case shows how concerned some communities are about concentrated animal feeding operations. The group Midwest Environmental Advocates is representing Portage County residents in a lawsuit alleging the Department of Natural Resources entered into an illegal settlement with a large livestock farm for a wastewater permit. The question is whether the state should have allowed public input.

Adam Voskuil, staff attorney for the group, said that as concentrated animal feeding operations gain a larger footprint, the data becomes clear about the damage to local resources.

“We are also seeing concerns about CAFOs in western Wisconsin, where there are significant spills and fish kills,” Voskuil reported.

He is referring to an incident from 2019 in which a settlement was reached with a large dairy farm over a manure discharge. For his clients, Voskuil pointed to 2018 provincial data showing elevated nitrate levels in private wells, saying this rises above the traditional “not-in-my-backyard” opposition.

The DNR would not comment on the lawsuit, but some farm groups say large farms must adhere to strict regulations because they help feed the world.

Voskuil noted that people who live near the sites are not supervisors. They are individuals demanding answers to what they believe is a growing crisis.

“I really think we need to stop accepting that CAFOs can externalize the costs of environmental pollution to the communities that live downstream or downwind,” Voskuil emphasized.

Wisconsin currently has nearly 340 concentrated feed operations as agricultural consolidation outpaces smaller, independent farms. Although the DNR is the target of the new lawsuit, the agency was defended by the state in a separate case for enforcing the permitting process for the projects. The lawsuit was filed by industry organizations that say there is overregulation.

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New maps show the extent of New York State’s lead pipe replacement program.

They show progress in replacing main lines, although the state still has an estimated 494,000. The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded New York State more than $300 million for the work over the past three years, but only $104 million has been awarded to municipalities.

Josh Klainberg, senior vice president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said additional state funds could replace more lines.

“There have been 24 projects funded out of the $104 million spent, which is great,” Klainberg acknowledged. “But as I said, there were another 85 other projects that also requested funding, totaling $211 million, but were not funded because there was no additional funding.”

The Rensselaer County Legislature has passed a resolution urging New York State to provide more money to replace lead pipes.

The EPA’s new lead and copper rule, expected in October, will give municipalities across the country 10 years to replace all existing lead pipes. Klainberg pointed out that if it happens, competition for labor and materials will be fierce. The rule’s ten-year clock could start in 2027.

State dollars for the work are included in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and the Environmental Bond Act, but do not match federal funds. A major challenge when replacing lead service lines is having an accurate inventory. Cities like Troy are working with homeowners to obtain the information.

Klainberg emphasized that replacing lead pipes benefits a municipality’s water infrastructure.

“We’re spending a tremendous amount of money on that infrastructure,” Klainberg noted. “On that last point, leaving aside that part of the overall infrastructure that is the most critical point, this is what I think rethinking this inventory project is about.”

In addition to national maps, New York’s Lead Pipe Right to Know Act requires that information about where lead pipes are located be easily accessible online to New Yorkers.

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A new film documents the 2018 battle between Colorado environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over proposed fracking regulations.

The film also documents an effort by Colorado Rising to pass a ballot initiative that would create a 2,500-foot setback for all hydraulic fracturing wells in the state, especially in underserved neighborhoods.

Sarah Schulte, member of the GreenFaith Boulder County organizing committee, which recently previewed the film for about 100 members, said the film has a strong message.

“What probably makes the movie quite dramatic and quite shocking is the extent to which the oil and natural gas industries in Colorado try to thwart them,” Schulte said. “Not just with some of the tactics that you would expect, but also with some sort of more nefarious tactics that, for example, sabotage their signature gathering.”

Ultimately, the petroleum industry rejected the measure after a $50 million campaign to oppose it. Schulte acknowledged that Colorado Rising raised only $1 million for his campaign. After the election, the state approved a 1,000-foot drill delay for schools and homes.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, involves drillers injecting a mixture of chemicals underground to break down the shale and release the oil. The chemicals used in the process, which are sometimes toxic, can contaminate groundwater and make surrounding land unstable.

Schulte emphasized that the film had a powerful effect on the group members.

“I think most people were pretty angry and maybe even a little sad after seeing how this kind of politics played out in Colorado,” Schulte noted. “They asked questions like: What can we do now? How do you keep going when it’s so hard to fight such a big and powerful industry?”

The film Fracking the System: Colorado’s Oil and Gas Wars is currently being viewed by select audiences. It won the “Spirit of Activism” award at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival
and the “Environmental Award” at the DOCUTAH International Film Festival 2024.

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As part of an effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta, an organization is working with nature to address environmental problems.

The Big Muddy is the second longest river in North America, flowing for over 2,300 miles.

Simone Maloz, campaign director for the group Restore the Mississippi River Delta, said the coalition is using nature-based solutions to address some of the river’s environmental problems in Louisiana and Mississippi.

“We use the force and sediment that the river brings to help us find solutions,” Maloz explains. “For example, we can have an area of ​​wetlands that needs to be fed with freshwater sediment. We can take advantage of that wonderful resource that we have.”

Maloz pointed out that some farmers are turning to a nature-based solution, using cover crops such as clover or other plants to protect the soil. Ground covers typically grow among primary crops, or are planted out of season to keep nutrients in the soil so they don’t become toxic in water runoff.

Maloz emphasized that nature-based solutions are key to building resilient communities. She says it’s those communities that are thinking about how to plan for climate change, such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels, wildfires, hurricanes and coastal threats.

“What we know about resilient communities, whether you’re on the coast or not, is about how to brace for these impacts and how to recover faster,” Maloz emphasized. “We know that if you include nature in those plans, you will help to do that better.”

Maloz added that her group is involved in several projects along the Mississippi River, using sediment to replenish marshes, rebuild ridges and barrier islands and create habitat for migratory birds.

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