In a packed Princeton gymnasium Monday night, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster faced a crowd estimated at over 1,200 persons – a crowd visibly and overwhelmingly "pro-PSF."
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But Koster made no promises about any eventual decision he could make about Premium Standard Farms (PSF), an employer with a $35 million annual payroll in north Missouri.
Koster said that PSF had made "laudable" progress on meeting 1999 and 2004 consent decrees that settled lawsuits filed by then-Attorney General (and now Governor) Jay Nixon; however, he said PSF hadn’t made similar progress on a continuing, vexing issue – odor from barns that house thousands of hogs on the company’s farms in north central Missouri.
"I can’t say that one side is right and one side is wrong," he said. "There’s no doubt that there are extraordinary economic concerns that people in Jefferson City need to be aware of. But I also have to balance that with property rights, and that’s an excruciatingly difficult balance."
Koster noted that he had been to north Missouri to meet with people with environmental concerns and gave a brief history of the consent decrees. He said the 1999 consent decree was to be a five-year document, and that a 2002 lawsuit resulted in a new consent decree that began in 2004.
That decree empowers a three-man panel, appointed by then Attorney General (now governor) Jay Nixon to resolve matters by August, 2010. Those serving on the panel – educational experts from Texas, North Carolina and Minnesota – are recommending the installation of biofilters at all PSF farms. The decree expires July 31, 2010. "In essence Premium Standard is asking for a second extension," Koster said. He noted that PSF and the state worked together to pick the expert panel.
PSF has developed an alternate method of reducing odor, using what’s called a scraper-digester system. The company presented its research in November, and Koster said he feels this version of what the consent decrees called "next generation technology" holds promise.
"I believe this new idea (scraper-digester) can work in a relatively short time," he said. "The panel seems to think it can work and appears to lean favorably toward it, but PSF needs to provide data quickly to the panel." He said that if PSF does that, the matter could be resolved within six months.
He stressed that he and others in Jefferson City understand the potential economic ramifications if PSF were to shut down and/or move to another state. "The state has absolutely no desire to have PSF leave the state and destroy the underpinnings of the economy in this region," he said.
Koster added, "Premium Standard Farms is not going to be closed on Aug. 1 (the day after the current consent decree expires)."
If the decree requirements are not met by July 31, Koster said three things could happen:
1) A lawsuit could be filed to force PSF to expedite its efforts to install barn odor technology.
2) The consent decree could be "torn up" as if nothing had happened.
3) The decree could be extended, giving PSF as much time as it needs to fix the barn odor problem.
Several individuals were given opportunity to ask questions and state concerns involving the PSF issues, with Koster attempting to clarify some misconceptions as well as hear information concerning the economic impact of PSF leaving the area.
Several persons took exception to actions taken by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) toward PSF and large-scale animal agriculture. Koster said, "It’s a fact that DNR has angered more people in rural Missouri than any other government agency. Its mission hasn’t been served and they have created a lot of problems for CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations). We are trying to address that issue."
Also attending the meeting were State Senator Brad Lager (R-Savannah) and State Representative Casey Guernsey (R-Bethany), both staunch supporters of PSF and animal agriculture.
Rep. Guernsey stated concerns with the law that allows businesses such as PSF to be sued every five years by the same individuals over the same issues. "This should not be occurring," he said.
"Government can’t create jobs, but bad government can end them," Sen. Lager said about the impact losing PSF could have in the region. "We’re talking about seven counties, 2,500 jobs; we’re talking about our communities," he said. "Nothing is more important than our way of life, and we (he and Guernsey) will do what we can to get this resolved."
The meeting was organized by a group of citizens concerned with the future of PSF if requirements in the consent decree are not met by the July 31 deadline. Due to lack of parking at the school gymnasium, shuttle buses were run from the Grand River Mutual Telephone Company and the First Baptist Church parking lots. PSF also ran shuttle buses for their employees who attended.
Prior to the public meeting, Attorney General Koster met with area business leaders, school superintendents and county commissioners from throughout the area in which PSF operates. That meeting ran long, and the public meeting didn’t begin until 8:25, about 25 minutes past the scheduled start time.
Editor’s note: Portions of this story were reprinted from the Princeton Post-Telegraph and the Trenton Republican-Times.
Voter opinions matter.
If you want to send a letter in support of PSF jobs in North Missouri, you may direct your comments to the following:
Governor Jay Nixon, Office of the Governor, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Attorney General Chris Koster, Office of Attorney General, Supreme Court Building, P.O. Box 899, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Rep. Casey Guernsey, 201 W. Capitol Ave., Room 406B, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101
State Sen. Brad Lager, Room 429, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.