Legislator wants to avoid last minute trouble with livestock confinements

A key legislator wants to close the door on applications for large-scale livestock confinements filed at the last minute to avoid proposed state regulations. Senator Republican Leader Stewart Iverson of Dows leads a dozen lawmakers meeting privately to develop legislation that’d establish new state rules for livestock operations. He says he’s going to ask the committee to consider that anyone who has applied for a permit after the 1st of January come under the new regulations.Iverson says the group will likely decide the state should spent a half million dollars installing air monitoring equipment near livestock confinements. State environmental regulators are discussing the idea of establishing air quality regulations for livestock operations. Iverson says legislators won’t enter into the controversy over a Cerro Gordo county ordinance which establishes health standards that would prohibit livestock confinements in certain areas of the county. Iverson says the courts will decide that issue.