Apparently not everyone is in favor of the Triumph plant

This letter to the editors of the Dispatch/Argus is generating some interesting comments:

If Triumph slaughterhouse builds, CAFOs (corporate factory farms) could sprout up in a 100-mile radius and drive out family farms. CAFOs degrade the environment and jeopardize public health. Liquified pig manure can pollute rivers, streams and groundwater to such a degree that wells have been poisoned, millions of fish have been killed in many parts of the U.S. and fishermen and swimmers have developed massive sores and memory loss, as scientifically studied and recorded in "And the Waters Turned to Blood" by Rodney Barker.

Some say the Environmental Protection Agency will protect us. Not so! The Federal Clean Air and Water Acts are violated repeatedly and taxpayers continue to pay the bills for terrible damage to the environment as printed by the Animal Welfare Institute. Today, Illinois has few laws and few employees to govern those laws. Iowa DNR is voting for more control over CAFO pollution. This year alone Iowa had already issued 358 permits as of April. But our politicians continue to believe it won't happen here. Do you?

In Altona, Ill. residents allege that health problems have resulted from animal waste from CAFOs. A woman who lives 50 miles from Triumph in Missouri reports there are cataloged environmental problems as far north as the state border. The East Moline City Council vows to protect us, yet they and other local politicians weren't interested enough to attend a forum on the dangers from this industry. They didn't want to hear that the boosted economy promised did not materialize in other cities and states. Yet they continue to believe it won't happen here. Do you? Whom do you trust, politicians or documented studies? Are these low-paying jobs worth it? We must protect our environment. Write and call your representatives in Springfield and tell them this is unacceptable. We must stop this now!


Lucille Kannenberg,

East Moline