The Lemoore City Council met last week to vote on several budget requests, including the addition of additional staff positions for the Public Works Department.
In addition, the council viewed an informational presentation from Nicole Pena, Executive Director of Kings Waste and Recycling.
“Back to Basics: A Guide to Recycling” gave the council an overview of the history of waste law, how to comply with existing state laws, and what types of organics to recycle.
According to Pena, 600 laws related to recycling were enacted between 1927 and 2021, with 14 enacted in 2021. One of California’s most important laws, AB 341, mandates commercial recycling. Its goal is to divert commercial solid waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
AB 341, intended to expand recycling in the state with the added benefit of creating jobs, targets businesses and public entities, as well as multi-family homes with five or more units, all of which are required to recycle under state law.
A primary goal of the 2012 law (AB 341) was to increase mandatory commercial organic recycling to 75% by 2020. To reach that goal, it was necessary to increase the amount of organics needed for recycling in localities like Kings County and the city. of Lemore.
Organics include food, leaves, grass, “non-hazardous” wood waste, and compostable paper products.
The submission also included “common contaminants” deemed unacceptable for disposal in recycling bins. These include:
- Styrofoam containers
- Plastic bags
- garden hoses
- 5 gallon plastic buckets
- Concrete and construction debris
- Scrap
- Tires and auto parts
To encourage compliance, a “Food Recovery Hierarchy” chart lists priorities, from reducing the use of organic food to donating unused organic food to charity and feeding leftovers to animals.
Opposition to the feedlot
Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson made clear to the city council this week where he stands on an application for a conditional use permit to build and operate a proposed cattle feedlot and collection plan. of beef.
In a letter to a Kings County Community Development Agency project manager, Olson addressed a proposed project for 12,600 head of cattle on 826 acres of land located south of Highway 198 and west of Highway 41.
“The City of Lemoore has several concerns and is strongly opposed to the proposed size and location of the project,” Olson stated in his letter to Victor Hernandez, project planner for the Kings County agency.
The letter was included in the agenda packet for the January 18, 2022 city council meeting.
In the letter, Olson raised concerns about housing 12,600 head of cattle in an urbanized area with a population of 27,235 (based on 2020 US Census data).
“The proposed size and location of the project would have one animal for every 2.2 Lemoore residents living together,” Olson estimated. “This will not be acceptable to the residents of Lemoore.”
The city manager recommended the “project proponent” consider other locations, further away from the “urbanized areas” of Lemoore, noting that “the proponent owns numerous properties within Kings County.”
Although a substantial portion of the proposed site is designated for agricultural use in the city’s general plan, “this designation is intended for active private agricultural land,” Olson’s letter states.
“The City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance consider beef harvesting an industrial use that would be inconsistent with the City’s Agriculture designation,” Olson stated.
He also raised concerns about environmental impacts under the subheading of Biological Resources.
“Since the soil at the project site appears to have been undisturbed for many years, it is unlikely that potential habitat for special status species exists at the site,” Olson’s letter states.
However, the city manager recommended to the council that Lemoore conduct a “full biological site assessment” to determine any adverse impacts the project might have on existing biological species.
The long and detailed letter raises concerns about increased traffic resulting from adding employees to “a huge operation.” The three-page letter also recommends conducting “technical studies” to analyze the “impacts of dust, odor and air quality” on the citizens of Lemoore.
“The potential for contamination of aquifers by ammonia and nitrates should also be studied,” the letter recommends.
“The City of Lemoore has serious concerns about the potentially very negative impact of this proposed project on the livelihoods of our residents and the operations and investments of our businesses,” Olson concluded.
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