BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK – BUT THERE’S GOT TO BE A MORNING AFTER

Need I say anything about yesterday’s election results?  Probably not, but I will anyways!  The morning after elections is always full of disappointments for the losing party and candidates, but it is also a time to regroup and understand that there is hope.  So here is my assessment – purely personal of course – on the Indiana races:

Senate – Sheriff Ellsworth vs. Carpetbagger Coats:

Coats was hand-picked to drop back into Indiana after Evan Bayh decided to self-limit his senate terms.  Coats and his wife were all set to retire in North Carolina – review the clip where he stated “if you don’t tell the good people of Indiana” referring to his plans to get out of Dodge permanently (although he hadn’t lived in Indiana for over a decade) and make his retirement home in North Carolina.  He even noted how excited he was at the prospect of registering and voting in North Carolina.

Of course, the issue of residency reared its ugly head, so he followed what is becoming an all-too-common path to running for office – he rented a space in the appropriate jurisdiction –  in this case, Indiana – to establish residency.  I would imagine it is a studio or something not too expensive since he likely will not be here much, if at all.

Odds are Coats has not sold his home in North Carolina – heck – I would bet the farm he hasn’t sold his home.  He will be an absentee Indiana senator, commuting to North Carolina during his term where his real home is located.  Any bets on how often he will actually step foot back in Indiana – the state he abandoned years ago?

This race is one of the most puzzling, but it shows that Hoosier values is an empty phrase to all those who voted for Coats.  I mean how is it he runs on Hoosier values when he hasn’t been a Hoosier for 12 years?  Shouldn’t he have been espousing North Carolinian values or lobbyist values or Washington, D.C. values?  Any values but Hoosier values.

At any rate, look for Coats, now 67, to run one term and then get back to his original retirement plans away from the “good people of Indiana”, which makes it almost certain he won’t spend much time in Indiana during his senate term.  Why would he?  He will mosey back to North Carolina, live in his $2 million dollar home, more than likely return to lobbying, and never give the “good people of Indiana” a second thought.

Both parties have probably already started thinking ahead to 2016.

House of Representatives – Hayhurst vs. Stutzman:

No surprise that this is the most disappointing of the races for me.  After beginning on Tom’s campaign in September 2009, the loss is extremely discouraging.  I watched Dr. Hayhurst traverse this district, walking door-to-door, speaking at events, participating in parades, and running a heart-felt campaign to be this district’s representative in Congress.  Hayhurst did not jump from one race to another – he focused on the congressional seat for Indiana’s Third District and would have made a great representative for the Third District.

Stutzman was selected in June, did very little campaigning, and probably looked at the race as an “entitlement” and pretty much a given.

I have to wonder whether Stutzman’s desire for the congressional representative’s seat was sincere or simply opportunistic. Since the age of 26, Stutzman has run for or held one office after another:  Indiana House of Representatives, Indiana Senate,  U.S. Senate, and now U.S. House of Representatives.  One gets the sense that “any old office will do.”

All the while, Stutzman continues to allege he is a “fourth-generation” farmer – but  more likely he is  a “FINO” – a “farmer in name only.”  I mean, how do you run for four offices in eight years, participate in legislative sessions, and farm full-time? And, now as a full-time legislator, how will he keep claiming he is a farmer?

Anyone who has been involved in farming knows that you don’t climb down off a combine for a photo shoot,  go back to campaigning, and then call yourself a full-time farmer.  Farming is hard work and requires long hours – even with the advent of technology those agricultural products don’t magically appear on your table or the store shelves.

My guess for Stutzman’s future?  He will attempt to stay in the House of Representatives until the opportunity for the 2016 senate race raises its head.  He will then switch gears again and go for the open senate seat which I predict Coats will vacate to return to North Carolina.  Opportunism at its height!

Local Races:

Morris vs. Wyss

What a disappointment – citizens complain and complain about career politicians yet continue to send the same politicians back year after year in a self-fulfilling cycle.  While Wyss may be a likable guy – he is a career politician with 25 years under his belt. Maybe the voters see part-time politicians differently than full-time politicians.  I have to wonder if all those voters who whine about career politicians have taken a look in the mirror and understand they are the very reason these politicians have careers in politics.

In the Indiana Senate race for District 15, the voters had an opportunity to send new blood to the state senate.  Jack Morris was well-informed on the issues confronting our state while Wyss tends to author or sponsor laws that are pretty much negligible and may be difficult to enforce.  Many of his efforts have been referred to as “nanny-state” legislation.

On the bright side, this race did force Wyss to campaign and remind voters who he was and what he looked like – something he hasn’t had to do much of with little competition in the past.

Ross vs. Dodge

This one was a real shocker – Codie was an excellent candidate following the path of Ed Roush’s campaign style and was well-informed on issues, especially those involving education.  As a previous teacher, his background would have been valuable in the area of education and its trials and tribulations.  With Daniels now poised to privatize our public schools, we need representatives who understand just what is at stake in this arena.

Dodge was also forced to campaign to keep his seat.  A small business owner who is now retired, Dodge has had very little impact in the Indiana House and prefers to maintain a low profile.

Indiana General Assembly:

Daniels’ Dangerous Tri-Fecta:

With the Indiana House of Representatives a 58 to 42 majority for Republicans, Daniels will now have the trifecta of power.  Republicans have whined about Obama’s trifecta for the past two years, so now let’s see if they acknowledge the danger in the trifecta they now will possess.  Bet you won’t hear a peep out of them.

With Daniels’ Republican minions now in control of both House and Senate, you can kiss goodbye any hope for Indiana’s environment, education, and social services.  With Daniels now in charge of two kowtowing legislative bodies, his privatization plans – even though terribly flawed in some cases – will kick into high gear.  Remember Daniels’ earlier reactions when he didn’t get his way on what he wanted;  he sometimes acted like a spoiled child and often was not involved in the legislative process.

In the area of environment, he has already diminished IDEM’s enforcement powers to the point of extinction along with attempting to do away with environmental regulations that protect our Hoosier air, waters, and lands.  Daniels sees Indiana as one big factory farming lot and will continue his efforts to increase the number of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) regardless  of the detrimental impact on air, soil, and water.  But that is of no import to the pro-big business minded Daniels.

Daniels contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to candidates through his “Aiming Higher” PAC, so look for a number of representatives to be in Daniels’ pockets when it comes to key votes. Look for a new and energized Daniels to steamroller through his destructive privatization plans for our state during his remaining two years.

Sarah Palin may have considered herself a lame-duck in her first term, but you can bet Daniels will go with the label “game-duck” as in ” I am game to destroy Indiana’s environment, education, and social programs.”

Redistricting:

The issue of partisan redistricting now leaps to the front and center.  The redistricting will occur in 2011 based on the 2010 census.  Todd Rokita, the soon-to-be ex-Secretary of State, has put forth a plan called “Rethinking Redistricting” under the guise of helping us poor, uniformed Hoosiers better understand the redistricting process.

I understand it quite well, thank you – redistricting is political – always has been and always will be.  The party in power in the Indiana House of Representatives attempts to draw and re-draw lines to better enhance its chances of retaining control of the federal congressional legislature.

If the Republicans decide they would rather oust Joe Donnelly in the 2nd congressional district and not worry about keeping Marlin Stutzman in the 3rd congressional district, then a map will be designed to shift either all or part of the red county of Kosciusko into the 2nd district thus creating  a larger Republican voter base.

Since Donnelly barely hung on in this race, a shift could cause major problems for his re-election in 2012.  But what may be bad for Donnelly could be good for Third District Democrats.  Removing Kosciusko County means that the Third District will need to pull in voters – most likely from the south in what is now Pence’s 6th district – as it was in the days of the old 4th district, which was somewhat more Democrat-friendly than the current 3rd district.

Indiana State Elected Officials:

Secretary of State:  Vop Osili vs. Charlie “I don’t know where I live or vote” White

Who’d have thunk Hoosier Republicans would vote in a guy who is under investigation for voter fraud, and who, if convicted, probably will be removed from office?  Obviously, either Republicans have again abandoned those “Hoosier” values which so often drip from their lips, or they just don’t get it.

Sure, he is innocent until proven guilty, but he has already acknowledged his “error” by resigning from the Fishers’ town council he represented.  He was involved in drawing the council’s boundary lines, so his “oops, I didn’t know” act has little credibility.  His resignation is one of those “I got caught” moments requiring action.

Vop was a great candidate.  I got to know him back in the late winter when I asked him to speak at our Third District Breakfast Club.  A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon and Columbia University, he is a small business owner.  He is thoughtful, well-informed, articulate, and energetic.  My prediction?  Watch for Vop to continue to be a rising star in the Indiana Democratic Party, and, perhaps at the national level.

Treasurer:

Pete Buttigieg vs. Richard “I like wasting taxpayer money” Mourdock

Another rising star in our party, Pete Buttigieg, is the son of educators and grew up in South Bend.  He was valedictorian of his high school class and went on to earn a degree from Harvard before studying economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

Before leaving his job to campaign full-time, Pete’s career as a businessman took him across the country and around the world. Providing analysis and insight to key decision-makers, he has worked in a variety of areas including economic development, retail strategy, energy and logistics.

Sam Locke vs. Tim “I like campaigning on the taxpayer’s dime” Berry

Sam was born and raised in Connersville, Indiana, and graduated from Connersville Senior High School.  He went on to attend Indiana University – Bloomington on a ROTC scholarship and graduated with a BS in Secondary Education and BA in Political Science before being commissioned an officer in the Air Force.   He earned his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Wyoming while serving in the Air Force at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.

Sam is another young and rising star in our party.  We are truly fortunate to have had three great candidates for our state offices, and who I hope will continue to grace the Democratic party with their achievements and efforts.

Some Final Thoughts

While yesterday was a tremendous defeat for Democrats here at home and nationally, I have been around long enough to know that this is not the demise of the Democratic party.  This is a cycle in our country’s political process.  We watched the huge democratic victories in 2006 and in 2008, and now the victories – at least some of them – have swung back to the Republican column.

The Republicans will be no more successful at pleasing the American voter than the Democrats.  And, the Tea Partiers will find they are such a small number that they will really have no impact on policies or the direction of our country.  I can’t wait to hear the bellow of Rand Paul in the Senate that “we have come to take back our country” only to realize that his voice is a mere mouse squeak in the scheme of things.

Voters are becoming ever more a crowd that wants something done immediately despite the fact that most issues require time – and sometimes a lot of it.  They refuse to understand that our system was created with a check and balance factor that makes the wheels turn slowly.

Americans have become conditioned to instantaneous gratification – partly as a result of technology and the fast pace of our lifestyles.  When I was offline with no internet for five days this past week, I had to talk myself down from the ledge.  Just kidding, of course.  But think about how we all demand everything immediately.  What is fast today will be slow tomorrow and on and on.

As we ramp up our expectations for speed, speed, and more speed, we are not willing to accept the notion that our Founding Fathers created a political system meant to crawl toward resolution of a myriad of issues – and those issues were not the same increasingly complicated issues we face today.

While yesterday was, indeed, a bad day for Democrats, I think of the song from the Poseidon Adventure “There’s Got to be a Morning After.”  Democrats will reinvigorate themselves as in the past, and the cycle will begin anew. With the outstanding slate of candidates we fielded this election, I have tremendous hope for upcoming elections.

And, indeed, today is that morning after, and I am already looking forward to upcoming campaigns!

 

 

 

 

DANIELS NEXT MOVE – DESTRUCTION OF INDIANA’S FORESTS

In 2005 the Dynamic Duo of Daniels and Skillman put out its “Possibilities Unbound” plan which sets out guidelines to the destruction of our state’s environment.  Here is that portion of the Plan of Destruction that deals with Indiana’s best opportunities:

Indiana’s best opportunities are in the hardwood, grains, oilseeds and pork sectors. The State must focus on maintaining and growing its market share in each of these sectors.
• Hardwoods. Indiana’s 4.3 million acres of high quality hardwood forests contribute significantly to the State’s economy. Indiana ranks first nationally in the manufacture of wood office furniture and forest-based businesses, which are the fourth largest manufacturing sector by employment in the State. Significant pressures from foreign competitors and significant untapped private wood lots create the need to find ways to maintain this strong position.
• Grains and oilseeds. Traditionally known for being a national leader in corn and soybean production, Indiana must continue to support the economic viability of these segments while at the same time develop new technologies and uses for these crops – a great example being biofuels.
• Pork. Indiana has a long tradition of pork production supported by skilled producers and a strong industry infrastructure. The State’s surplus corn and soybean meal production, abundant cropland and sufficient processing capacity make it ideally suited for pork industry growth. A lack of an industrywide focus or growth plan over the last decade has resulted in a 30% reduction in breeding herd inventories and a 20% decline in market hog inventories.

Well, good golly, the Guv and his henchwoman have already capitalized on the pork and grains part of the plan.  The rush to ethanol production has led to little benefit to the state, but that hasn’t stopped his Royal Highness from exploiting the opportunity and shoving it down our throats even though the ethanol factor has proved less than successful.

And, of course, we already know that the Dynamic Duo has made tremendous headway in the area of pork production.  Since the release of the Plan, hundreds of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have been approved and constructed leading to Indiana’s being well on its way to becoming one big hog farm with CAFOs popping up all over the state.

But now the two are taking after the state’s forests.  Recently, Indiana’s  Department of Natural Resources set in motion a survey – called an assessement (wording is everything) to inventory the state’s forests.  According to the website, the State Assessment will provide a valuable document for communicating forest-related issues, threats, and opportunities in the State of Indiana.

Photo Credit: USDA

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Photo Credit:  USDA

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Opportunities = code for “how the heck can we cut down as many trees as possible without anyone noticing.”  Additional code word = exploit.

What is really hard to understand is how Hoosiers simply sit back and relax and let this pompous and arrogant man march his way from state line to state line, destroying our environment in the process.

PANIC OVER PUPPY MILLS – CALLOUSNESS OVER CAFOS

Labeling is everything.  Recently, the Indiana legislature wound itself up over “puppy mill” legislation this session, but no one seemed to give a second thought to the treatment of animals that bear the label of  “here for your eating pleasure.”

I just am not sure how people ignore the fact that cows, pigs, turkeys, ducks, sheep, and chickens also feel pain and suffering.  The animals we label as commodities  are raised in an environment that treats them as nothing more than – well, nothing.

We panic over the treatment of “pets” because we have labeled them in such a way that they are seen as companions and partners in our journey through life.  We pamper them, care for them, and bury them in special places.  Yet, when it comes to animals that we have decided to label “food”, we turn our heads to the cruelty and disdain with which they are treated.

CAFOs – where these commodities are housed – are nothing more than houses of death and destruction.  Animals are packed into close quarters, fed hormone-laced grain, and injected with antibiotics to combat diseases that thrive in the close-packed quarters.   All for the purpose of increasing production so that Americans and the rest of the world can consume more meat so that more arteries can become clogged so that more people can die of heart disease.

What a difference a label makes.  Too bad we haven’t figured out the power that those labels contain.

DANIELS CONTINUES ASSAULT ON INDIANA’S ENVIRONMENT

The Little Emporer and two of his supporters – House Representative Phyllis Pond of New Haven and Senator Dennis Kruse of Auburn – have once again come up with an idea to assault Indiana’s environment.   House Bill 1047 – submitted by Pond and Senate Bill 0079 – submitted by Kruse – would establish an “environmental rule review board” which would review state environmental rules to make sure they are as lenient as they can possibly be.  The gist of the board’s duties would be to review the relevant rule, decide if it is more stringent than a federal rule, and, if so found,  prohibit adoption of the rule by the boards that oversee air pollution, land pollution, and water pollution.

The bills, if passed, would make a mockery of efforts to protect our air, land, and water.  The interpretation of just which rules are too tough would be left up to the board.  The board could strike down and prohibit from adoption any rule it desired with a statement that the board found the rule to be too stringent and beyond what the federal rule required.  The rule would, thus, never see the light of day.

By the time any action challenging the board’s interpretative decision could wind its way through the administrative process and then into the courts, the environmental damage would be done.

DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL (in the Senate and in the House)

Environmental rule review board. Establishes the environmental rule review board. Prohibits the air pollution control board, water pollution control board, and solid waste management board from adopting a rule that contains a provision that is more stringent than a corresponding federal provision established under federal law until the environmental rule review board approves the rule. Prohibits the environmental rule review board from approving a proposed rule that contains a provision that is more stringent than a corresponding federal provision established under federal law unless the board finds that the provision is necessary to address an emergency situation that is unique to Indiana.

Daniels isn’t even making any secret anymore of his distaste for our environment and his position that the environment obstructs his rush to accommodate big business and big agriculture.

The composition of the board would include the following as voting members:

• the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental MisManagement, and
• two appointees of the governor – from the business community, one from business and industry and one from small business

And hold on to your hats on this one -the board would include four nonvoting members to act in an advisory capacity.  The four nonvoting members would include two members from the Senate and two members from the House.  Any bets on who those members might be?

I will lay you odds those members will represent areas with big agricultural interests such as CAFOs and ethanol plants.  The board – if the bills pass – will be a farce stacked against protecting our environment.

Hoosiers need to sit up and take notice of what this man is doing to Indiana’s environment.  He has already abolished the enforcement arm of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and now he is trying to ensure those very boards regulating our air, land, and water do not pass any rules that – heaven forbid – might provide more protection for our environment than he thinks is necessary.

Notice how nicely the environmental review board dovetails into Daniels’ recent abolishment of IDEM’s enforcement arm.  Daniels has assured citizens that those who enforced regulations under IDEM’s enforcement unit will simply be moved into the separate divisions withint IDEM – the air, land, and water sections.  An environmental review board with the power to determine which rules should be prohibited and which shouldn’t  coupled with a decrease in enforcement actions, spells disaster for our environment and ensures that Daniels will not be hindered in his plans to exploit our air, land, and water.

Remember how he drove around in an RV acting like he was all rural and stuff and really cared about Indiana?  What we are about to see is an assault on our environment in the next four years like we have not seen from any governor before.

Daniels is a lame duck, he doesn’t care, and he is bound and determined to not let our environment get in the road of big business and corporate concerns.  Hoosiers need to take action and stop the continuous assault against our environment by Daniels.  Write to your legislators and let them know that you care about our environment and have had enough of his efforts to destroy our air, land, and water.

Here is the website where you can locate your state representatives and state senators.

http://www.in.gov/legislative/legislators/

Photo Credit:  A Greener Indiana

St. Marys River, Fort Wayne, Indiana

CAFOs DAMAGE WATER QUALITY IN THE ST. MARYS RIVER

In general, a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a very large Confined Feeding Operation (CFO)  that requires a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) System for discharges or potential discharges of water contamination.

However, any animal production unit, regardless of size, that has had a significant pollution discharge or plans to treat manure and discharge treated effluent that meets state water quality standards may be required to obtain an NPDES discharge permit and is defined as a CAFO.

In the federal rule of 2003, CAFOs were required to obtain a permit if the operation housed at least 1,000 beef cattle, 700 mature dairy cattle, 1,000 veal calves, 2,500 swine (over 55 lbs), 10,000 swine (less than 55 lbs), 500 horses, 10,000 sheep, 55,000 turkeys, 125,000 chickens (dry systems), 82,000 layers (dry system), 30,000 ducks (dry system), 30,000 chickens or layers (liquid system), and 5,000 ducks (liquid system).

As a result of a recent court ruling, however, revisions developed by the EPA rescinded the requirement to apply for an NPDES permit based solely on animal numbers. As of January 2007, approximately 620 of the 2260 CFOs in Indiana were defined as CAFOs.

This past week the Fort Wayne Farm Show was held at the Coliseum and with a slight twist in presentation of information.  Clint Nester, program manager for the St. Marys Watershed Initiative, addressed water quality near livestock facilities, including CFOs and CAFOs –  a topic that does not sit well with those who own and operate these polluting facilities.  He has no doubt that livestock affect the quality of water, particularly in the area of E. Coli distribution.  The more densely packed livestock operations are, the higher E. coli levels are likely to be in nearby waters.

During his session at the farm show, Nester showed findings from water-quality tests performed at about 20 points in the St. Mary’s watershed, which includes parts of Allen, Adams and Wells counties.  In the St. Mary’s watershed, the area of densest animal operations and lowest water quality is in central Adams County, between Berne and Monroe. Whether the measure of water quality is fecal bacteria, nutrient loads or amount of suspended sediment, the areas where the most livestock is raised is where water quality is worst.

In Indiana, according to IDEM, the percent of total permitted production operations by species in Indiana are as follows: 70% swine (a la Mitch Daniels), 8.3% beef, 8.1% dairy, 6.9% chickens, 6.6% turkeys, .04% ducks and .03% sheep. Certain areas in Indiana have a significant concentration of confinement operations.  The numbers of CFO operations are highest in Carroll, Clinton, Wabash, Adams, Decatur, Daviess, and Dubois counties.  CAFO operations are highest in Kosciusko, Wabash, White, Carroll, Jay, Randolph, and Dubois counties.

This year, once again, our legislature has the opportunity to take action to protect our state and its environment.  And once again,  I have to wonder whether our legislators will buckle to Daniels’ ever-present and destructive goal of turning Indiana into one big CAFO.    The distribution map below shows he is certainly on his way to his goal of doubling pork production within the next few years.

Daniels has little respect for our Hoosier environment as has been shown by his abolition of the enforcement division of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.  This year our legislature needs to get some guts and pass laws regulating CAFOs and stop Daniels from his destruction of our Indiana environment.

Map of livestock distribution in Indiana

Photo Credit: Purdue University

DANIELS REMOVES ENFORCEMENT UNIT OF THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Building on his reputation for being a friend of big business and a not-so-good friend of the environment,  Daniels has decided that the environmental management division can manage just fine without an enforcement division.  In his “Possibilities Unbound Plan” of 2005, one of the Guv’s goals was to make Indiana more business friendly by “streamlining” the regulatory process.  Meaning – get rid of as many regulations as possible.

Apparently he is starting with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) by closing its enforcement division.  The employees will be relocated into the air, land, and water departments where presumably they will continue to enforce regulations.  But the old adage of “out of sight – out of mind” certainly has the potential to apply to the workers and their efforts.

The truly sad thing is that Daniels simply doesn’t care.  After all IDEM is responsible for overseeing and issuing the Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permits, and his goal is to double pork production in the next few years.  Without the enforcement division, CAFO owners will not face the scrutiny needed to keep them in line.

Currently, all a potential CAFO owner has to do is send in a properly prepared application, and, bingo, it is approved.  Our legislature has done little to establish any standards for CAFOs and county officials are confused and befuddled when it comes to actually implanting some semblance of regulations to govern local CAFOs.  Without an enforcement division, CAFOs and their owners will have the CAFO-friendly business environemnt that they want and Daniels will continue to turn a blind eye to the damage CAFOs can cause – all to prop up his goal of increased pork production.

Photo Credit:  Google Images

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IDEM also is adopting new policies that narrow the definition of environmental harm and investigate only after the environmental damage has been done. State officials charged with protecting people from environmental law violations will instead be asking Hoosiers to prove they were harmed by such things as chemical spills, air pollution that exceeds permitted standards or animal feces flowing freely into state waterways.

Look for Daniels to increasingly back off on environmental regulatory compliance as he pushes and shoves his way toward making the state more “economically friendly” toward big business, in general, and CAFOs, in particular.

GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAIR GOES TO MITCH DANIELS – WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Okay – what were those governors thinking? Or whoever it was that was responsible for selecting a chair for the Great Lakes Compact regional council? Mitch Daniels as the chair is the classic fox guarding the chicken coop. And for those who aren’t quite sure what that means, let me explain.

Letting the “fox” guard the “chicken coop” is akin to putting a person in charge of a task wherein that person has an adverse interest and will be in a position to exploit the situation.   Of course the irony is that the fox would rather eat the chickens than protect them.  We usually think of this idiom when it comes to administrative agencies, which are typically considered to be loaded with foxes guarding the chicken coops in their particular areas of expertise.

Mitch Daniels as the chair of the Great Lakes Regional Council is certainly a step in the wrong direction. After a decade-long struggle to accomplish an agreement to protect the Great Lakes from diversions of large quantities of water, we don’t need to set the progress backwards.

The Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario – and their connecting channels form the largest fresh surface water system on earth.  The Lakes cover more than 94,000 square miles and drain more than twice as much land.  These Freshwater Seas hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water, about 20% of the world’s fresh surface water supply and about 90% of the U.S. supply.   Spread evenly across the contiguous 48 states, the lakes’ water would be about 9.5 feet deep.

The Great Lakes Compact generally bars large-scale, long-distance withdrawals from the lakes.   But a loophole in the bill waives the diversion ban for any container less than 5.7 gallons. That means that the bottled water industry is off the hook.  The possibility for exploitation of this loophole is enormous, and with someone with Daniels’ view of using the environment for gain and profit, that exploitation looms on the horizon.

Our Midwest environment is simply too important to entrust someone with Daniels’ view of the environment with such a position.

Photo Credit:  Great-Lakes.net

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If you recall, Daniels wants to turn Indiana into one large Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). His “Possibilities Unbound” plan of 2005 clearly states his goal of doubling hog production within a few years.  His goal of doubling hog production has led to hundreds of CAFOs popping up all over the state,  primarily in the east central portion and, more recently, in our region.

CAFOs damage the environment whether it be the air, water, or land.  Yet Daniels supports them as a way of implementing what he calls newer technologies such as cramming thousands of animals into buildings where they barely have room to turn around.  It also means dumping thousands of tons of manure on land with that manure contaminating rivers and underground sources of water.  It also means fouling the air for miles surrounding the CAFOs.

Here is the Daniels’ plan for CAFOing Indiana:

Double hog production while increasing pork processing capacity in the state.

Key Accomplishments

• Total hog and pig production is up 8 percent from 2005.
• The swine breeding herd increased by 14 percent in 2006.
• In 2006, permits for confined feeding operations increased by 8.5 percent.

But that is not all Daniels wants to do to Indiana’s environment.  Daniels has a plan to “manage” our Indiana forests – in other words to increase timber cutting.  This can also be found in his “Possibilities Unbound” plan.

And how will much of this be accomplished?  Why, by discouraging regulations or, at the very least, backing off on enforcement.  Daniels slyly calls this “working closely with the State’s regulatory agencies to ensure science-based standards are considered in agricultural matters and do not impede economic development.  All regulations impede, to some degree, economic development.  So what does he really mean by “not impeding economic development?”

And the real irony?  Daniels fought to enable the BP refinery in Whiting to increase its pollution of Lake Michigan.  With Daniels’ record on the environment – really – what were they thinking?

The Great Lakes from space – Photo Credit:  Environment News Service

BRADTMUELLER CAFO CONNIVANCE

So another CAFO is on its way to Allen County, and it will not be stopped.

Certainly the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) will not stop it, for its only role is to rubber-stamp those applications that are received and appear to meet its minimal requirements. Daniels and Skillman made it known in 2005 through their agricultural plan that the goal was to double pork production in the next few years.

Certainly Allen County will not stop it, for County officials do not even understand the issue and have allowed the issue to languish. County officials haven’t even bothered to take a good, hard look at the environmental and health risks associated with CAFOs and the impact on the quality of life in Allen County.

Certainly our state legislators will not stop it, for they have consistently failed to confront the issue with any amount of seriousness. For two years now, legislation has been introduced, but the legislature has failed to act on any of it. The interest groups that support the exploding CAFO industry have managed to persuade our legislators that regulation isn’t necessary.

Certainly, the double-crossing nephew who lied to his aunt as to his intentions when purchasing her land will not stop it, for he knew his plan all along was to build a CAFO. His aunt, Pam Bradtmueller, has asked “where is his conscience?” To her, he no longer has one.

Doug Bradtmueller filed his CAFO application with IDEM on July 10, 2008, and received approval on August 15, 2008. The decision barely took five weeks, a length of time that indicates just how little is required of IDEM to review and rubber-stamp a CAFO application. Although IDEM provided a comment period, it quickly rejected a request for a public hearing subsequent to the numerous complaints it received during that comment period.

IDEM’s hasty actions make clear it isn’t interested in providing a forum to discuss any environmental or health concerns of surrounding residents. IDEM is simply interested in kowtowing to the governor’s mandate to double pork production in a few short years.

It is time for the citizens of Allen County to wake up and understand what is happening to its rural environment. CAFOs are called factory farms for a reason; these mega farms are not agriculture. They are industrial farms, and just like any other burgeoning industry, they bring with them increased environmental and health hazards.

Photo Credit: Google Images

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So, if we cannot count on our elected officials to act, and we cannot count on IDEM to protect us, then we must take on the task ourselves. Arm yourselves with information, dig into the process of CAFO approvals, and research the hazards to our environment and our health. but most of all, be prepared to take a stand and be prepared not to stand back. Our environment and quality of life are too important.

OH NO – ANOTHER CA-FO

Another Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a comin’ to Allen County. This one will be number 6 and will be located at 12102 Rohrbach Road. The operation will house 4,000 hogs. A hog produces about 14 pounds of manure a day, which equals a whopping 56,000 pounds of manure a day for a 4,000 head operation. In tonnage that equals 28 tons.

All that waste is held in pits under the slatted floors of the confinement building and eventually placed in “manure” lagoons. The proprietor hauls the juicy concoction out to the fields for spreading or injection, often times in a vehicle euphemistically called a “honey wagon.”

CAFOs have become the darling of the meat production industry with mass production becoming increasingly popular, especially in the hog industry. In the past 15 years, the number of U.S. hog farms has dropped from 600,000 to 157,000. However, the total hog inventory has remained almost the same. In the past 10 years, the U.S. has lost 84,220 farms with the vast majority of this farm loss in the form of small farms.

CAFOs are linked to a number of health and aesthetic issues.

• WATER: CAFO operators apply animal waste to area fields either through injection or spreading, often resulting in the soil becoming saturated with pollutants such as pathogens, phosphorus, nitrate and ammonia. Rainfall causes these chemicals to leach out of the soil and to seep into the underground water table, contaminating surrounding drinking-water sources.
• HEALTH: CAFO air emissions constitute a hazard to public health and worker health with increased rates of nausea, headaches, vomiting or diarrhea and even brain damage and life-threatening pulmonary edema. The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new CAFOs pending additional research on these documented risks.
• AIR (ODOR): People living near CAFOs have long complained about odor emanating from these facilities. Poor air quality in the vicinity of CAFOs has been linked to health concerns like upper respiratory diseases.
• PROPERTY RESALE VALUE: Property resale value may be affected by a nearby CAFO since air quality and quality of life

Image credit: Google Earth

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The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is taking comments regarding the newest factory farm. But don’t look for IDEM to listen to the public or to deny the permit. IDEM has fallen in step with Governor Daniels’ desire to double hog production in the next few years.

IDEM claims its only role is to review the application and the manure handling plan, and, if in order, the application is rubber-stamped and the permit sent on its way to the new CAFO owner. So, like it or not, Allen County will more than likely be home to a sixth CAFO with more to come. You can count your little piggies on that.

SKILLMAN TO LEAD MORE JOBS OUT OF INDIANA

Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman – aka Outsourcing Annie – will lead a 26-member delegation of Indiana food and agribusiness leaders to Mexico. Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller will join the traveling party. The group will visit a pork processing plant and the largest dairy operation in Latin America as well as meet with representatives from grain and biotechnology industries.

See a trend here – anyone? Anyone? Daniels and Skillman unleashed the Possibilities Unbound Plan in 2005 which triggered the filing and approval of hundreds of CAFO permits to operate confined operations to meet the goal of doubling hog production within a few years. The visits to the pork processing plant operation will no doubt be to work out agreements for processing the pork product or to open the possibility to contract for raising hogs in Mexico. But why would outsourcing processing even be needed?

Wasn’t one of the Guv’s goals in doubling pork production to increase economic benefit to Indiana? The next excuse we will hear from the Guv and Skillman is that we just don’t have the capacity to handle all the processing.

In addition to outsourcing possibilities visiting pork and dairy locations, one of the foremost topics appears to be “rural development.” This is code for “rural exploitation” of Mexican agricultural areas; obviously we are not discussing rural development here in Indiana. Much of the country is too arid or too mountainous for crops or grazing, and it is estimated that no more than one-fifth of the land is potentially arable. However, Mexico’s burgeoning population has made it a net importer of grains.

Add to this mix the fact that NAFTA, which was implemented 14 years ago, required the lifting of tariffs on corn and beans by early 2008, and it looks like the Guv and Skillman will be some of the first to exploit the elimination of the tariffs by shipping Indiana grain to Mexico.

Again, more exploitation of the Mexican people and land. Note that Emily Otto-Tice of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Corn Alliance is one of the 26-members making the trip.

Photo Credit: Photovault.com

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With much of the land too arid or too mountainous for grazing, it also raises the prospect that Mexico would be an excellent experiment in building and running CAFOs since CAFOs do not require a large number of acres to operate. Build CAFOs in Mexico, ship Indiana grain to Mexico to supply the necessary feed, and ship the finished product to the growing middle classes in countries such as China. With states and local communities becoming ever more wary of the environmental dangers of CAFOs, why not use Mexico with its less stringent environmental standards.

Skillman has previously led separate missions to Taiwan and Vietnam and to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. All countries which produce all those lovely, cheap products competing for the American consumers’ attention. So, while Indiana’s economy is not faring so well and the United States appears headed into a recession, the Guv sends his right-hand woman on another field trip with 26 cohorts at the expense of the taxpayers.

The following are those individuals who owe us thanks for their memories in Mexico since I assume the Hoosier taxpayer is again paying for the privilege of losing jobs. I have underlined and bolded those names connected with agriculture. Notice that two areas are predominantly represented: grains and pork. Connect the dots: Mexican rural development – exporting crops and outsourcing meat production and processing.

• Lt. Governor Becky Skillman
• Andy Miller, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Juana Watson, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Hispanic Affairs
• Steve Akard, Director of International Development, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Angela Coats, Press Secretary, Office of the Lt. Governor
• Bart Lomont, Special Assistant to the Lt. Governor of Indiana
• Matt Harrod, Assistant Director of Policy and Research, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Lesley Taulman, International Trade Program Manager, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• Dale Whittaker, Associate Dean for Academic Program, Purdue University College of Agriculture
• Guillermo Vasquez de Velasco, Dean, College of Architecture and Planning, Ball State University
• Susan Sutton, Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs and Chancellor’s Professor of Anthropology, IUPUI
• Dr. David A. Bathe, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Lafayette
• Don Villwock, President, Indiana Farm Bureau
• Mike Platt, State Executive Indiana Pork Producers Association
• Terry Vanlaningham, Indiana Pork
• Emily Otto-Tice, Director of Grain Marketing, Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn
• Fayte Brewer, Indiana Grain Producer
• Jim Eichhorst, Manager, State Government Relations, Midwest Region, Biotechnology Industry Organization
• Ted McKinney, Leader, U.S. Food Chain and States Affairs, Dow AgroSciences
• Andres Felix, Legal and Government Affairs Lead, Latin and North America, Monsanto
• Angel Saavedra, Regulatory and Government Affairs Manager, Dow AgroSciences, Mexico
• Mike Murphy, President, Murphy Partners, LLC
• Beth Bechdol, Director of Agribusiness Strategies, Ice Miller LLP
• Terry Anker, Chairman, The Anker Consulting Group
• Steve Churchill, President and CEO, PreferredPartners