Call to Action: No on 2345 - Restricting Local Zoning Authority

As you may be aware from our Legislative Blog postings, we have followed closely SB2345 that would modify some of the zoning and siting requirements for “animal feeding operations”. At the direction of our Legislative Committee, we had not engaged in the debate, as it was felt that some of the requests for greater certainty were reasonable, and the stakeholders had worked with everyone to advance changes that did not directly diminish local land use control. The changes primarily dealt with timely decision-making.
The bill was amended this week in the House Committee, and many of these changes were also reasonable. However, the elimination of the local zoning authorities’ (counties’ and townships’) ability to modify setbacks by 50% was viewed by our legislative committee (many of them producers themselves) as unacceptable. After meeting today, they unanimously directed that we now oppose the bill.
As this bill is on Monday’s HOUSE floor calendar, we are asking our membership to contact their Representatives urging a NO vote. The link to each House member’s email address can be found below – although don’t hesitate to talk to them personally if you see them this weekend.
Please communicate your own thoughts, but ask that they “VOTE NO (RED) on SB2345 to preserve reasonable local zoning control.”

Click here for list of House Members