By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
An appeal hearing on the construction and operating permits for the Ozbun chicken concentrated animal feeding operation near Roaring River State Park will start at 9 a.m. Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission.
The two-day hearing will take place in Room 540 of the Truman Building in Jefferson City.
The Ozbun CAFO houses up to 65,600 pullets for George’s Processing, a poultry plant near Cassville. It was granted an operating permit on Aug. 22, 2007, by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The CAFO is within a mile or so of the river and the state park, a popular tourist destination in Barry County.
Local residents, supported by trout fishermen, environmentalists and tourism groups around the state, have formed the Roaring River Parks Alliance to oppose the CAFO and the possible construction of other CAFOs near the state park.
Similar controversies have erupted regarding hog and chicken CAFOs near other state parks and historic sites, such as the Arrow Rock and Battle of Athens state historic sites.
Opponents have argued that the CAFO at Roaring River will damage water quality in the spring and river, and be a drain on tourism.
The opponents also have said they will attempt to show that the DNR circumvented the original construction permit by allowing changes after the fact. The changes were made, they allege, without the public having an opportunity to comment on them.
Opponents also plan to cite the geology of the site, noting that there is a losing stream on the property that is an unnamed tributary to Roaring River. A losing stream is a water body that may lose and gain flow as water moves through the hydrologic system.
It is not clear how a recent decision by Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce will affect the hearing. The judge’s ruling prohibits the construction of hog CAFOs within two miles of the Arrow Rock State Historic Site. Originally, the judge created a 15-mile buffer around the park, but she later decided to reduce that to two miles.
State regulators say the waste-management system for the Ozbun CAFO has been designed and permitted as a no-discharge operation, which means wastes are contained and stored until proper land application can take place.
Michelle and Rodney Ozbun, owners of the CAFO, have retained Michael Schmid, an associate in the firm of Schreimann, Rackers, Francka and Blunt in Jefferson City, to represent them.
The Roaring River Parks Alliance will be represented by John Price, of Springfield.
The DNR will be represented by an attorney associated with the Missouri attorney general’s office.
Commission
The Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission, part of the executive branch of state government, is a neutral, administrative tribunal that functions as a court-like or quasi-judicial entity to resolve conflicts involving permits and other contested issues in Missouri.
Local News
Appeal hearing set on Roaring River CAFO
- Local News
-
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down part of a state harassment law enacted after the suicide of a St. Charles County teenager who was teased over the Internet.
-
Cattle rustlers strike again in SW Mo. county
The plague of cattle rustling goes on in southwest Missouri’s Greene County.
Sheriff Jim Arnott says the latest episode occurred sometime Sunday in Walnut Grove. -
Bids sought for Cherokee County water treatment plant
After many delays, construction bids are being sought for a water treatement plant and water tank for the Spring River Public Wholesale Water District No. 19.
-
Dog helps some get through the court process
Sophie, a mutt of a dog with draping ears and dotted brows, is helping people in St. Louis County court tell stories of crime to judges, investigators and attorneys.
-
Jasper County 911 administrative lines down
Though all Jasper County emergency 911 telephone lines are functional, administrative and non-emergency lines for the county dispatching service have been down since Monday night.
-
Study suggests continued population drop in Kansas
A decades-long decline in population is likely to continue in Kansas, particularly in the west of the state, and four counties could have fewer than 1,000 residents by 2040, according to a study by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research.
-
Tornado victim’s recovery ‘miraculous’
Carolyn Mckinlay did not know much about baseball, but she knew it was important to watch the sixth game of last year’s World Series. It was important because her future husband, Mark Lindquist, had a ticket to see his beloved Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in the seventh game at St. Louis.
-
Family of service honored at Memorial Day ceremony
Lt. Col. Robert Brock returned to his hometown Monday and told an audience of about 500 residents and veterans gathered at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial that Memorial Day is a celebration of family — America’s family of service.
-
Master developer working on project possibilities
A Texas developer who Joplin officials intend to hire to help with the city’s post-tornado development says he has secured commitments for about $400 million in capital to fund about 20 possible projects.
-
Webb City High School honored in rankings of national magazine
Webb City High School is among 13 schools in Missouri to receive a silver medal designation among the best high schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
