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Senate panel backs higher CAFO fees to cover permitting costs; industry largely supports bill
Summary
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to give HB 1021 a "do pass" recommendation after Department of Agriculture officials and livestock-industry representatives said fee increases are needed to fund concentrated animal feeding operation permitting and inspections.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to give House Bill 10 21 a "do pass" recommendation after the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources told lawmakers that existing fees cover only a fraction of the CAFO permitting program's costs.
Kent Woodmancy, director of the Division of Agriculture and Environmental Services at the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, told the committee the CAFO fee structure has not changed since the permitting program began in 1997 and now covers “approximately 5% of program costs.” He said the department has shifted staff and that recent budget reductions removed about $350,000 in general funds from the livestock services program.
"If this bill does not pass, the program will have to make cuts that will impact services to CAFO producers," Woodmancy said, explaining that…
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