Some of the CAFO’s have already built anaerobic digesters through a combination of their own funds and government grants and loans. Others are on board to proceed if this project goes through. While the digesters can be built to generate electricity on site to power the dairy operations, and can feed power back into the grid, the electric company does not pay enough, nor accept enough, to make this a profitable or even break even operation. The county would become a Power Authority with the ability to broker electricity and gas to commercial clients.
Planners claim this project is needed to protect the environment from the pollution to air, streams and wells by manure. As a matter of fact the same farmers who for years have been denying the impacts of manure lagoons cited this problem repeatedly during the meeting and in the printed material that was distributed to attendees. One forthright farm family spoke of how they turned to a digester because when they went from 100 cows to 1000 cows, the manure stench created problems for themselves and for their neighbors.
The spokesman for the Marketing group repeatedly claimed to speak for Southern Cayuga Dairies.

Ana wonders if they speak for all dairies,

or just the ten or so industrial dairies who can hope to be part of this project?

Ana is also concerned at how dependent the county would be on the CAFO’s. If the CAFO’s choose to keep their power on site, choose to switch to a different technology, find they can’t afford the upkeep on the technology, or stop raising livestock, will the county be left holding the bills for its part of the project, with no energy source flowing into the pipeline? How much power does that give to the CAFO’s? Local politicians are already influenced through campaign contributions from these entitites.
In response to a citizen’s question it was learned that the BION Corporation (the lead player in the 72K cow project in a neighboring county) has been part of the discussion, though it is not currently signed on.
Other citizen questions had to do with: the use of emminent domain in laying the pipeline; whether lagoons to hold manure and food waste would be lined; would we end up in a bidding war with other interested parties on food waste; would Marcellus Shale development reduce the price of natural gas to the detriment of the price that could be charged for biogas; what is the county’s responsibility for disposal of contaminants from scrubbing biogas; who would own the carbon credits; could the trench for the pipeline be leased to other utilities as well to recapture some of the cost?
All good questions. Some had tentative answers, others will be looked into.
This project has been in the idea/planning stages for five years or more, yet this was the first meeting to present it to the public. I know that is the way that boards and committees work, but it would seem to me that an earlier discussion with the public may have determined whether or not their constituencies would even want them to proceed with the idea before so much time and $(?) was used up.
One attendee, a resident of the south end of the county, stated that at their towns planning meetings folks have indicated they don’t want this type of agriculture to continue to spread. Now the county is entering a deal that will push it on them.

Another resident asked, “why should the tax payer pay to clean up a mess made by private industry”?
Why indeed?

Wrong.

The point: your point, was that the Civil War had “absolutely nothing to do with slavery until that (insert disparaging remark here) Emancipation Proclamation.” I gently brought up the fact that previous to Lincoln’s signing there may have been debates, discussions and arguments regarding slavery, which you agreed to.

I didn’t bring up the attempt to make sure slavery didn’t expand out west and how much many in the South fought that: elections fought over it…

…or that Jeff Davis himself said if not for slavery there would have been no Civil War…

…or the economic situation that made slavery so crucial to the South…

…or John Brown…

…or the caning of an anti-slavery senator by another, pro-slavery, senator… pre proclamation…

…or the compromise we made regarding slavery in our own Constitution and experts who said we would have to settle the issue sooner or later…

Well I could keep going, but point made.

The odd thing here is if you had compromised ever so slightly and said it had little to do, or not much to do with it, I might have backed off from my extremely mild challenge to one self made King of answering all controversies. But I have had one too many racist southerners where I have lived since 78 make this same claim, punctuating it frequently with “nigger,” not to understand where it usually comes from, and what it often means. They still do it, they have just dropped the less than pc “n”-word.

Then when I told you couldn’t quite claim had “absolutely nothing” to do with it if they argued, debated and discussed slavery previous to the Proclamation, you called me an idiot. Oh, I know, you might claim you were quoting Glen Beck, Rachael Maddow or Bart Simpson, but we both know that’s not how it was meant, even if you claim you were.

To claim otherwise would, simply put, be lying.

Therefore confirming within far less than 5 minutes my previous suspicion that having an actual adult discussion regarding such things under these conditions was impossible. And since there is no reason I have to put up with such outright abusive behavior, I won’t.

I have been told you don’t remember all this. I find that hard to believe, but let’s say that’s true. I don’t find it any more comforting that someone who can be verbally abusive forgets it so quickly and easily: no matter what the reason. And let’s not forget my wife says she was told that you would, according to your wife, absolutely be apologizing. The quandary here is that, although that would have been the adult thing to do, I wouldn’t have believed it for a moment.. I’ve been around you long enough to know you’d be right back at it sooner rather than later. Just like you smile and shake a visitor’s hand on the way in and either avoid them, or lecture them about how everything should be, only minutes later?

I’ve also been told part of this behavior is due to a stroke. But a stroke should never be a mere excuse for, and a reason one must put up with, rudeness and abuse. I’m afraid, in this case, that’s mostly what this is. And a stroke wouldn’t account for you pushing and pushing these things: using every possible excuse to do so.

I can’t promise what we both want, that I never come back: not for weddings, funerals: nothing. For instance, if I find your being abusive to my other relatives that live with you I might have to. That’s not a threat. It’s what any sane person might have to do to protect those he cares for from someone whose idea of showing love apparently includes being abusive.

You do realize that folks smarter than us have been arguing these issues and not resolved them long before we were born, right?

Previous to our last visit I have been mostly silent about all this, but over the months since last Thanksgiving I have described my objections to your behavior, Sir, to friends, very few family members and a few business associates. I didn’t mention your name, just like I decided not to mention it here. I think I need to tell you what one said describing you and your behavior, once again, leaving out who. But I can’t just repeat it because I have been trying to keep this somewhat civil. But I will tell you the last word sometimes keeps company with “flaming,” and the second word starts with an “a.”

That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him say anything like that. If he were to continue in that manner, lecturing all, I might eventually define that as “rude” too, and tell him so. But no where near as rude as aiming one’s poisonous, partisan, name calling vitriol towards guests or family.

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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 30 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks and into the unseen cracks and crevasses that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.

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Ken Carman and Cartenual Productions
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