Shawnee Group of the Sierra Club
Outings Newsletter Local Action Resources Membership
Shawnee Group of the Sierra Club
Outings Newsletter Local Action Resources Membership
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Currently, Illinois law is very lax in regulating siting of these mega-farms, and does not adequately regulate the storage and application of the enormous amounts of manure generated on these farms. Why weren't livestock farms a concern before this? Mainly because livestock was raised in relatively small numbers on diversified family farms, where there was a balance of livestock and cropland so the manure from the animals was applied to the crops and grain from the farm was fed to the livestock. Thus, there was a fairly closed cycle, and much of the manure applied to the land could be absorbed by the crops. Now, on large CAFO farms, there are thousands and even tens of thousands (sometimes millions) of animals that generate so much manure that it cannot be safely applied to the available cropland. There is no longer a cycle to conserve nutrients. Instead these nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) run off of fields and leak or gush out of lagoons and pits into our waterways and aquifers. The manure from CAFOs also contains heavy metals, antibiotics, and many harmful chemicals that contribute to the pollution of our land, air and water.
There is a long litany of environmental concerns about CAFOs. Spills from CAFO manure pits and lagoons have caused huge fish kills and decimated life in miles of waterways. Over application of manure to farmland can cause a build-up of salts, heavy metals, phosphorus, and nitrogen that can poison and burn out prime farm land for years, even decades. Leaks from manure storage can get into drinking water supplies, causing anemia, blue baby syndrome and other ills. Air pollution from CAFOs consists of hundreds of gases, including hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia, and benzene. According to recent studies, this air pollution is already making neighbors to these CAFOs sick. Run-off from farms in the Mississippi River Basin has already created a 7000 square mile "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. Outbreaks of waterborne disease, such as the epidemic of campylobacter in Milwaukee that sickened thousands and killed over 100 people, are thought to be caused by an overload of nutrients, largely from CAFOs.
As if that wasn't enough, CAFOs are dealing a final blow to thousands of family farms, causing them to fold - a kind of rural Wal-Mart syndrome. Large corporations (ADM, Con Agra, Cargill, Monsanto, et.al.) increasingly control grain markets and meat packing plants and own livestock on contract farms, thus controlling all stages of livestock production, known as vertical integration. Due to this market control by large corporations, small farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to find a market for their hogs. In 1998, when the Asian market dried up, and livestock prices were at an historic low, small farmers had to sell at a huge loss. Some farmers in Iowa even held a "hog shoot", inviting hunters to come and shoot a hog and make a donation to the farmer. The corporate farms did not have such a loss because they were insulated by their contracts with meat processors and by vertical integration. All of this is also causing a major social and economic disruption in farm communities where these CAFOs move in.
Governor Ryan and many legislators are saying that the Maitland bill, which the Illinois legislature passed this spring, will solve our problems. Actually, the Maitland bill, which Ryan has signed into law, has very vague language and no enforceable standards. The state-wide local siting criteria are only advisory: the Department of Agriculture can still give siting permits to any facility anywhere. Provisions for public notification and input still make it difficult for the public to learn the facts and influence decisions. Manure management plans are still not available to the public, and are still not adequately inspected and enforced. The amount of phosphorus that can be applied to the land will still lead to huge amounts of phosphorus run-off into our waterways. It is a "feel good" bill that gives the impression that our legislature and Governor have solved the problem, when, in fact, the vague language allows "business as usual" to continue. Since the legislative avenue has reached a temporary dead-end, the Sierra Club CAFO task force is taking a new tack - water quality testing. Anyone interested in helping with this project in our area should contact me (Barb McKasson) at (618) 529-4824.
This Spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 1825, which would weaken the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act by allowing the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to grant incidental take permits to allow the killing of threatened and endangered animals in certain circumstances.
You can call Illinois Governor George Ryan at his office toll-free at 1-800-642-3112. When you reach the governor's office, leave a message stating "Please veto House Bill 1825," and leave your name and address.
This spring, Rep. Woolard and Rep. Granberg introduced, HB 2243, the original bill that would have exempted three Illinois threatened and endangered animal species from the Illinois Endangered Species List. This was a dangerous precedent allowing endangered species to be removed from protection simply because they stood in the way of some pet development projects.
Thanks to the phone calls generated throughout the entire State of Illinois in opposition to HB 2243, its sponsors dropped that outrageous idea and instead amended House Bill 1825 to allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to issue "incidental take" permits, allowing the "taking," or killing, of endangered animals if it would not threaten the survival of the species in Illinois. Such a provision is contained in the federal Endangered Species Act and many similar state statutes. Sierra Club is very concerned that legislators have now weakened this very important conservation law for the purpose of greasing the skids for local pet projects. HB 1825 now moves on to Governor George Ryan's desk, where we hope to convince him to use his veto pen to make the following changes:
1. Take the Politics Out of Species Decisions.
The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board consists of top biologists and wildlife specialists who are the most knowledgeable people in Illinois regarding threatened wildlife. These scientific experts, rather than political appointees at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, should ultimately make decisions regarding actions impacting endangered species.
2. Allow the Public the Right to Challenge Incidental Take Permits.
Most state agency decisions are subject to review by a court of law. To ensure that sound scientific evidence supports a decision to grant an incidental take permit, citizens should have the same right to challenge decisions to grant these permits.
3. Require Guarantees That Habitat Improvements Will Take Place.
If an incidental take permit is approved based on the permittee taking steps to mitigate damage or improve habitat, they should be required to post a bond that would guarantee funding for the habitat projects in the event that they are unable or unwilling to implement them.
You can help by calling Governor Ryan TODAY and urging him to use his amendatory veto to improve HB 1825. He received the bill on June 18th, and has 30 days to sign it. You can call his office toll-free at 1-800-642-3112.
Leave a message stating "Please veto House Bill 1825", and leave your name and address. Our phone calls helped kill the original version of this legislation, and now we need to convince Governor Ryan to correct the problems with House Bill 1825. If you wish to leave a more detailed message, you can use the following as a guide:
I wish to urge Governor Ryan to use his amendatory veto for H.B. 1825 on the Illinois Endangered Species Act. First, the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board should make the final decisions regarding endangered species. Second, citizens should have the right to challenge decisions to grant these permits. Third, permittees should be required to post a bond to guarantee funding to mitigate damage or improve habitat.
Thank you for your help. Remember, call early and often!
