In response to Robert Taylor's letter in the Sept. 12 R&L, he should get his facts straight before he accuses anyone of saying anything.
I never said what Mr. Taylor accuses me of saying. What I said was "part of me says if you don't like the smell of cow manure, you should move into town, while I am sensitive to some people's concerns about their neighborhoods."
My suggestion was, we should consider an agricultural zoning district that would protect farmers and keep them profitable. Profitable farmers will remain farmers, thereby preserving farmland and slowing urban sprawl.
With subdivisions popping up in rural areas, we are receiving an increased number of complaints regarding the sights, sounds and smells of farming operations. There are many problems in a growing county -- this is one of them.
My comments made no reference to Snow Creek Road and no reference to what Mr. Taylor calls a "chemical plant." Our attention was on a countywide land use plan. My comments were made in that context.
In a later discussion with the reporter, I used the term "honey wagon" and explained it in graphic detail.
Twisting someone's words so that you can advance your argument is unethical and hinders legitimate debate. Debate on biodiesel is good. Distortion is wrong.
Commissioner Steve Johnson
Statesville
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2 comments:
We already have zoning for agriculture. If you create an agri-business zone, we have lots of dairy farms, cattle farms and poultry farms that should qualify for your new plan. Even McLain Farms should fit into that category. But when you try to classify a fuel refinery as agri-business, that simply will not fly! Any operation using the toxic chemicals and posing the risks that this facility represents is still M-2 Heavy Manufacturing!
This man's arrogance has no end! And he still thinks the debate is about biodiesel! NO, NO, NO! It's about putting a dangerous industry in backyards! Period.
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