Man withdraws application for controversial chicken confinement operation in Pottawattamie County
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Mike Clifton voluntarily withdrew the application
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Mike Clifton voluntarily withdrew the application
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Mike Clifton voluntarily withdrew the application
UPDATE:
Mike Clifton, who planned to build and run a chicken confinement and feeding operation in southern Pottawattamie County, has withdrawn his application to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Clifton and the Iowa DNR confirmed the update to KETV Newswatch 7.
Clifton submitted a proposal for the chicken confinement feeding operation near 253rd and Applewood Road. He planned to purchase the property from the current landowner.
The Iowa DNR said Clifton voluntarily withdrew his application before the department had made any decision.
Clifton told KETV Newswatch 7 he and the landowner came to a mutual agreement, and Clifton is now looking for different land options for the project.
PREVIOUS REPORTING:
Frustration filled St. John’s Church in Mineola, Iowa, with people packing nearly every pew in the sanctuary for a meeting on a proposed chicken confinement feeding operation.
The project would include eight barns, each with capacity for 26,000 chickens.
Many of those at the Monday meeting came in opposition to the proposed operation near the border of Pottawattamie and Mills counties.
"We have so many concerns, ranging from property values decreasing, to the Wabash Trace, this is going to sit right off the Wabash Trace. Water is a huge issue, everybody has well water out here. The runoff to Keg Creek. Air quality is going to be awful," said Molly George, who organized the meeting.
Those in attendance said they also worry about an increase in traffic on rural roads.
Even Iowa State Rep. Jon Jacobsen and Sen. Tom Shipley skyped into the meeting.
Pottawattmie County officials said the project plan meets criteria for confinement feeding operations as laid out by a scoring system called the master matrix.
Nevertheless, the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors voted against the plan last week.
County Board chair Justin Schultz said they are pro-business, but the area where the chicken operation is planned is slated for a newly housing development, helping grow Council Bluffs to the south.
"The issue out here is the location, so considering the land use plan we have in place for this area, the next corridor for housing is going to be around here. We're going to run that water line out this way, from there, neighborhoods are going to spread," Schultz said.
Schultz said he could support the project in another location.
He and residents said the whole thing caught them off-guard.
"Very secretive, they were getting it to this point, and that's a concern too. If it was a good thing, they'd want to tell you about it," said Charles Petersen, who lives nearby the proposed site.
Mike Clifton is the man who would purchase the land and operate the facility. Clifton said he would be a producer for Smart Chicken. He told people at the meeting, he has done everything by the book.
"My name is on it, Mike Clifton Poultry is on it. I'm not trying to hide anything. My name's on it. I'm living there," Clifton said.
The project goes next to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The DNR said it's awaiting a manure management plan and would then do an environmental review.
If the plan is approved by the DNR, there is an appeal process.