Senate panel approves extra CAFO inspection mid‑permit after amendment

Senate Bill 193, which would require one additional inspection of confined feeding operations (CFOs) during the five‑year permit period, passed the Senate Environmental Committee 9‑1 after the committee accepted an amendment narrowing the change.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Niemeyer, told the committee the amendment “says that we’re adding 1 more inspection in that 5 year period,” and that inspectors would be limited to examining the activities authorized by the CFO permit—chiefly manure storage—and would give 30 days’ notice before the midterm visit.

The measure is intended to address concerns raised by adjoining property owners about runoff and odor. Opponents from the livestock and farm groups argued a statutory inspection cadence would hamper the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM’s) ability to allocate inspection resources by risk and could shift resources away from discretionary, risk‑based investigations. Josh Trenaryk of the Indiana Pork Producers Association said, “Indiana pork is opposed to this bill. We’re opposed to any statutory requirement for inspection frequency because we…