Adding CAFO Insult to CAFO Injury

Everytime I think about how "rights" are being systematically stripped away from Hoosiers... arr-rg-g-gh!!

Kemplog and Mason's blog drew my attention to this new little piece of legislation called -- Senate Bill 0173.

It almost makes me wonder how well Gilbert and his brother Tim den Dulk (or Tim's wife's family - the de Jong's) know Senator Jackman... because both Bill 0173 and a former piece of legislation authored by Senator Jackman grants considerable protection for the Poultry CAFO that wants to change over to a Veal Calf CAFO.

Think about it.

The first piece of legislation protects CAFO owners from nuisance suits for operations that have a "significant change in the type of operation".

I'd say a 241% increase in total manure production to be a significant change, and that's not even pointing out the other very obvious significant changes in this operation.

Then the next piece of legislation pays the CAFO owner back if (read when) they win their nuisance lawsuit.

If you've never been in a "Nuisance" lawsuit court battle, you might be surprised at how expensive they are to fight -- particularly for local area residents fighting them. In many cases, a nuisance lawsuit won't even make it to court because residents can't raise the funding to fight them, and in most cases, it's residents' only form of defense against the "trespasses" these CAFOs can bring to a neighborhood.

Nuisance law is part of "common law" ... part of the rights American forefathers faught so long and hard for. If they only knew what has become of those rights... particularly here in Indiana.

It's unconstitutional -- and insulting -- IMHO.

Speaking of Indiana laws ...did you know there are a few "loopholes" that have been uncovered in IDEM's CAFO regulations? I'll bring you more on THAT interesting discovery tomorrow, along with information on what YOU can do to get IDEM REGULATIONS changed here in Indiana.

Meanwhile, speaking of de Jong ...check this little EPA Press Release out:
EPA orders Indiana dairy to comply with discharge permit

Here's an interesting quote from the above EPA Press Release - QUOTE:

"Storm water run-off discharged from CAFOs typically contains very high levels of nutrients and pathogens that can pose a threat to public health and harm aquatic life."

Dang it all -- isn't that what I've been saying all along?! Where is that dang Public Health Board, anyway? How many people will have to get sick -- or worse, die -- before Public Health Officials get involved in this picture??

The frequency with which we were spotting CDC (Center for Disease Control) vans in this area last summer has me wondering if, maybe, they're already involved but we just don't know about it yet?


Keywords: CAFO, factory farms, den Dulk, Gilbert den Dulk, Tim den Dulk, den Dulk Dairies, de Jong, de Jong Dairies, IDEM, Senate Bill 0173, Senate Bill 267, Sen. Jackman, confined animal feeding operations, EPA violation, EPA Press Release