A Democratic candidate for Illinois governor is trying to influence the debate over how to strengthen state laws regulating the placement of large-scale livestock processing plants.
Glenn Poshard, a retiring Congressman from Marion, Ill., offered his own plan for regulating livestock plants, saying he hopes it is taken into account by the state government entities trying to resolve the situation.
His plan comes one week after General Assembly committees rejected several plans to strengthen state laws in favor of environmental groups, and came two days before a Statehouse meeting scheduled to bring livestock and environmental interests together.
Poshard thinks current laws on siting such plants are adequate for plants dealing with less than 1500 animals per year. For larger plants, Poshard thinks county boards should have veto power over their siting.
He also thinks the Illinois Department of Agriculture should issue initial siting permits, while the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency should issue future operating permits.
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