Factory Farms and Destroying Michigan's Most Precious Resource

The Republican State Senate has voted to exempt giant factory farms in Michigan from water pollution controls in place to protect our lakes, aquifers, rivers, and streams. While many of us are trying to save the planet and protect our natural resources for future generations, the tired old moneyed interests in Lansing keep trying to row the other way.

These giant factory farms that raise thousands of animals in close quarters for eventual slaughter are called "CAFOs", or centralized animal feeding operations. They are not pleasant places, but do manage to produce large quantities of cheap meat, milk and eggs. They also produce huge amounts of manure and urine, which is usually dumped into giant "lagoons".
(No matter how much one may enjoy rural life, you wouldnt want live anywhere near one of these horrific places.)

Basic common sense would hold that such profit-making enterprises would have to at least follow basic anti-pollution guidelines that attempt to protect our water supply. But the Republican controlled Michigan Senate is trying to exempt CAFOs from having to adhere to basic pollution guidelines.

This is why it is so hard for me to understand the reasonings of my Republican-voting friends. There is nothing conservative or family-friendly about letting giant cess-pools of animal wastes fester in Michigan, threatening our most important and valuable resource.