MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Officials in northern Iowa have asked the state to reconsider its model for evaluating concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Cerro Gordo County is the 11th entity to write to the governor and legislature seeking changes to ensure concerns about the environment are being addressed, the Globe Gazette reported. Iowa law governs the construction of hog confinements by using a scoring system.

 

The operations are approved on a points-based system, and the state doesn’t allow  for local control, even when county officials see potential health hazards. County officials have raised concerns about the system for several years, but the legislature hasn’t acted. “I’m a big supporter of agriculture, but it’s time for the governor and state legislature to take a look at this,” said Tim Latham, a Cerro Gordo County supervisor.

 

County supervisors said they’ve reached out to the Department of Natural Resources about matters including construction, impacts on drainage, road infrastructure, residential development and environmental concerns. The department consistently has overruled local concerns and granted CAFOs permits because the applicant has met the state matrix requirements.

 

 

WAPELLO, Iowa (AP) — A fire at a turkey farm south of Wapello has killed about 10,700 juvenile turkeys and caused about $300,000 in damages to the building. The Hawk Eye reported the fire occurred Thursday, when Wapello firefighters were called to Gentle Ben’s Turkey Farm. Authorities said a large turkey barn, about 40-by-250-foot, was completely consumed by fire by the time firefighters arrived, and the building had already collapsed.

 

Authorities said the fire burned rapidly because of high winds and a heavy covering of sawdust bedding. The cause of this fire has not been determined, but officials said it’s not considered suspicious. No people were injured in the blaze.

 

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An Appalachian coal company wants to turn one of its former strip mines into a solar farm. The Berkeley Energy Group, EDF Renewable Energy and former state Auditor Adam Edelen announced last week they are looking at two mountaintop removal sites just outside of Pikeville in the heart of Kentucky’s coal country.

 

Berkeley Energy Group Development Executive Ryan Johns said the solar farm would generate between 50-100 megawatts of electricity that would be sold to power companies along the East Coast. He said the project would cost tens of millions of dollars and include “hundreds of thousands” of solar panels.

 

The project is the latest effort to diversify Kentucky’s energy resources. Earlier this month, the Kentucky Coal Museum installed solar panels on its roof.

 

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An 80-year-old woman has been charged with embezzling more than $70,000 that was set aside to build a statue in Lansing to honor farm labor leader Cesar Chavez.

 

The attorney general’s office said Maria Louisa Mason was executive director of the Michigan Hispanic/Latino Commission within the state Department of Civil Rights. Mason is accused of transferring the money to bank accounts that she controlled and then using it to pay credit card bills,  taxes and other personal expenses.

 

Attorney General Bill Schuette said the scheme started in 2013 and lasted until June 2015. The Chavez statue still hasn’t been built. A not-guilty plea was entered on Mason’s behalf last week. Messages seeking comment were left for her lawyer.