Ree Heights, South Dakota rancher Dean Lockner testified against House Bill 1140 in committee last week. The measure streamlines the approval and limits the appeals process for county zoning board’s considering conditional use permits for confined animal feeding operations. He says the main problem with the legislation is that it takes away local control.
He says the measure also makes it more difficult for private citizens to challenge the decisions of the county boards, as it narrows the definition of who has legal standing to file appeals.
Lockner says if the Legislature gives final approval to this measure it will lead to more industrialized agriculture in South Dakota.
Dakota Rural Action and the South Dakota Farmers Union also spoke against HB 1140. Those in favor of the measure included the South Dakota Farm Bureau, Pork Producers and Cattlemen’s Association.
