Iowa DNR's Environmental Protection Commission issues permit for Millenium Ag expansion

The expansion of Millenium Ag in northern Winneshiek County has won approval.

The Iowa DNR's Environmental Protection Commission, meeting in Windsor Heights on Monday afternoon, voted 8-0 to issue a permit to Millenium Ag.  The commission had been asked by the Winneshiek County Board to deny the permit.

Winneshiek County supervisors Dennis Karlsbroten and Dean Thompson traveled to the EPC meeting to state the county's case.  Karlsbroten said "Neither Dean nor I slept well last night."

But County Board Chairman John Logsdon praised the work of Karlsbroten and Thompson, saying the two were well-prepared and did an excellent job.  Logsdon says the EPC's vote didn't surprise him, saying the appeal process was probably a case of "delaying the inevitable" under current laws.

Millenium Ag had sought approval of a plan to build two more confinement operation buildings on its property.  The expansion would bring the number of hogs at the facility at any one time to 1,666.  That equates to adding 4,165 swine per year.

In approving the Millenium Ag expansion request in August, DNR Director Chuck Gipp ruled "the existing operation has not caused water quality or other environmental/natural resource impacts and the DNR doesn't anticipate otherwise from the proposed expansion."