"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"
Online Edition
Wednesday, June 19th, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
- 8:58:04, Jun 18th 2013 - cabraden1 - I salute you Colonel Overland. Your were my c.o. at Rockville Naval Air ... [Read More]
- 7:10:46, Jun 13th 2013 - chipperlee - Seems to be a well written article, except maybe Silica Sand is used in ... [Read More]
- 12:02:15, Jun 9th 2013 - getthefacts - The problem here lies in the fact that girls were repeatedly told "if y ... [Read More]
- 10:45:32, Jun 7th 2013 - Jo mom for 6yrs - Mr. Ehler hit the nail on the head. I agree with the religious con ... [Read More]
- 2:47:58, Jun 7th 2013 - hello - Hello, it's time you wake up. There isn't a community nearby that doesn't offe ... [Read More]
- 9:06:21, Jun 6th 2013 - hello - Hello, it's time you wake up. There isn't a community nearby that doesn't offe ... [Read More]
- 2:05:29, Jun 6th 2013 - Kim Wentworth - The number one rule in a debate: 1) if the person from the opposite si ... [Read More]
- 12:42:18, Jun 4th 2013 - EW - For someone that is always spouting religious rhetoric, you try to come off as a ... [Read More]
- 11:32:18, May 31st 2013 - JO PLAYER - This is unfair to us girls. Morrie Miller is not getting canceled but J ... [Read More]
- 8:25:34, May 29th 2013 - RP - Why is Mr. Ehler involving himself with non-school activities? Is he going after ... [Read More]
Scheevel calls charges ridiculous
Comments
Monday, July 31, 2000
Last week a group of Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members from Fillmore County called on state Attorney General Mike Hatch to investigate whether state legislators improperly pressured the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) into changing its opinion regarding the proposed dairy expansion of Reiland Farms.
LSP says that prior to a March 29 meeting, which was called by State Senator Kenric Scheevel R-Preston, MDH had recommended that an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) be conducted for the dairy. On May 16, MDH withdrew its comments regarding the Reiland project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continued to recommend that an EIS be done.
On May 23, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizen’s Board voted 5-2 against requiring Reiland Farms’ proposed project to undergo an EIS. LSP subsequently filed a lawsuit against the MPCA ruling.
"In this case the Minnesota Department of Health decided to protect themselves instead of our air and water," said Jeff Tart of rural Spring Valley, whose land sits across the road from the proposed Reiland site. "Their decision was based on political pressure, not science."
Patricia Bloomgren, Director of MDH’s Environmental Health Division said in an e-mail memo obtained by Reiland opponents that during the March 29 meeting a "high" level of "hostility" was shown to both MDH and DNR staffers.
"Their primary goal seemed to be to threaten us into submission so that we do not do our job (protecting public health and groundwater," Bloomgren wrote, referring to some of the lawmakers present at the meeting.
The Reiland project would construct a new 500 cow (700 animal unit) confined dairy facility with two manure lagoons having a capacity of 7.3 million gallons. The planned location for the project is approximately 3.5 miles southeast of Spring Valley in Section 7 of Forestville Township.
Among those attending the March 29, meeting were Scheevel, Rep. Gregory Davids R-Preston, other state legislators and top officials at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, MPCA, DNR and MDH.
Senator Scheevel told the Journal last week that the meeting was called in order to look at feedlot issues, and especially the jurisdiction of the various state agencies in granting permits.
"Using the Reiland project as an example, I asked the MDH and DNR to justify their negative comments because an EIS can cost up to $100,000 and virtually kill a project," Scheevel said. "Never once were these departments asked to change their comments or reports."
"These allegations are utterly ridiculous," Scheevel said, referring to LSP’s charges that the MDH was intimidated into changing its stance. "It’s like looking for an elephant in a willow tree. I will never apologize for asking an agency to justify their actions."
"These are blackmailing tactics by the Land Stewardship Project and their supporters who are trying to intimidate and harass legislators," Representative Greg Davids said in a telephone interview with the Journal. "I was not elected to be intimidated by terrorist groups such as the LSP. This is cheap and dirty election year politics at its worst."
Regarding Patricia Bloomgren and her comments about the high level of hostility directed at MDH and DNR staffers by lawmakers, Davids said that she was not telling the truth. "Even her own Commissioner at the MDH (Jan Malcolm) says that nothing happened at the meeting," Davids said.
Scheevel said that the Attorney General’s office did not even have jurisdiction in this matter. "When you send a letter to the Attorney General, it makes for a good headline," Scheevel said. "I don’t play politics with the family farm and I don’t think the Land Stewardship Project should either."
Last week a group of Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members from Fillmore County called on state Attorney General Mike Hatch to investigate whether state legislators improperly pressured the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) into changing its opinion regarding the proposed dairy expansion of Reiland Farms.
LSP says that prior to a March 29 meeting, which was called by State Senator Kenric Scheevel R-Preston, MDH had recommended that an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) be conducted for the dairy. On May 16, MDH withdrew its comments regarding the Reiland project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continued to recommend that an EIS be done.
On May 23, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizen’s Board voted 5-2 against requiring Reiland Farms’ proposed project to undergo an EIS. LSP subsequently filed a lawsuit against the MPCA ruling.
"In this case the Minnesota Department of Health decided to protect themselves instead of our air and water," said Jeff Tart of rural Spring Valley, whose land sits across the road from the proposed Reiland site. "Their decision was based on political pressure, not science."
Patricia Bloomgren, Director of MDH’s Environmental Health Division said in an e-mail memo obtained by Reiland opponents that during the March 29 meeting a "high" level of "hostility" was shown to both MDH and DNR staffers.
"Their primary goal seemed to be to threaten us into submission so that we do not do our job (protecting public health and groundwater," Bloomgren wrote, referring to some of the lawmakers present at the meeting.
The Reiland project would construct a new 500 cow (700 animal unit) confined dairy facility with two manure lagoons having a capacity of 7.3 million gallons. The planned location for the project is approximately 3.5 miles southeast of Spring Valley in Section 7 of Forestville Township.
Among those attending the March 29, meeting were Scheevel, Rep. Gregory Davids R-Preston, other state legislators and top officials at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, MPCA, DNR and MDH.
Senator Scheevel told the Journal last week that the meeting was called in order to look at feedlot issues, and especially the jurisdiction of the various state agencies in granting permits.
"Using the Reiland project as an example, I asked the MDH and DNR to justify their negative comments because an EIS can cost up to $100,000 and virtually kill a project," Scheevel said. "Never once were these departments asked to change their comments or reports."
"These allegations are utterly ridiculous," Scheevel said, referring to LSP’s charges that the MDH was intimidated into changing its stance. "It’s like looking for an elephant in a willow tree. I will never apologize for asking an agency to justify their actions."
"These are blackmailing tactics by the Land Stewardship Project and their supporters who are trying to intimidate and harass legislators," Representative Greg Davids said in a telephone interview with the Journal. "I was not elected to be intimidated by terrorist groups such as the LSP. This is cheap and dirty election year politics at its worst."
Regarding Patricia Bloomgren and her comments about the high level of hostility directed at MDH and DNR staffers by lawmakers, Davids said that she was not telling the truth. "Even her own Commissioner at the MDH (Jan Malcolm) says that nothing happened at the meeting," Davids said.
Scheevel said that the Attorney General’s office did not even have jurisdiction in this matter. "When you send a letter to the Attorney General, it makes for a good headline," Scheevel said. "I don’t play politics with the family farm and I don’t think the Land Stewardship Project should either."