Montpelier, Vermont has demonstrated just how un-green they are by turning up their noses at a local farmer who composts. It’s a shame that these city-zens are so snobby. They aren’t willing to have someone compost their own wastes in town. Note that he’s three miles outside of town.
Board tells Vermont Compost to halt operations
July 11, 2008
By Louis Porter
Vermont Press BureauMONTPELIER — The Natural Resources Board has told Karl Hammer to halt operations at Vermont Compost Co., located on Main Street a few miles outside the state’s capital city.
Hammer’s company, along with the composting operation in Burlington’s Intervale, have been used as examples of how to get food scraps out of the landfill and into people’s gardens and farms.
But both have run into trouble with state regulators and neighbors. In Hammer’s case, the question at the root of the matter is whether his site in Montpelier is a farm — therefore outside the jurisdiction of the Act 250 land use rules — or a manufacturing company subject to them.
Early this year Hammer was told he needs a permit under the state’s sweeping land use regulation to run the composting facility. He appealed that “jurisdictional opinion,” but the Natural Resources Board has now declined to allow him to keep operating until that process is complete.
In addition to directing Hammer to “immediately cease any and all commercial composting operations,” as well as “immediately remove all compost materials” and “all improvements constructed for any and all composting operations,” the letter from the board levied an $18,000 fine against Vermont Compost Co.
:
The Legislature this year passed a law that exempted composting operations from Act 250 review for two years. However, that only applies to those sites that have a solid waste permit from the Agency of Natural Resources, which Hammer’s Montpelier operation does not. He has a related plot in East Montpelier that does have such a permit, as does the Intervale.In the past Hammer has argued his Montpelier site is a farm because he raises chickens and mules there and because he operates under contract with Fairmont Farms to process their cow manure. That, he has said, means his compost company should be considered an agricultural use.
However, since the bulk of the material composted does not come from his own farm (or from the Montpelier site), the composting operation is not farming, the Natural Resources Board and the District Environmental Commission has ruled.
Part of Hammer’s site could be considered a farm, but part of it is a compost manufacturing facility and therefore requires an Act 250 permit, regulators have said. …
-RutlandHerald
Compost. A manufacturing facility. Right. Montpelier talks green but they sure don’t act it.
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Hat tip to Karen
Animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais
The US Department of Agriculture says right on their website, “take the first step, register your premises today!” When you follow that link, you get to another page that says first you have to “apply.”
Here’s a definition of “apply” from Black’s law dictionary, 4th edition: To make a formal request or petition, usually in writing, to a court, officer, board, or company, for the granting of some favor, or of some rule or order which is within his or their power or discretion. …”
So the NAIS program, appears to be an invitation to contract with the private company called the US Department of Agriculture, in return for benefits such as having diseases in one’s animals monitored.
In addition, we are being urged by parties to petition our Congress to vote against the NAIS, but again, it looks like even Congress is a “private company.”
From the Manta website, which derives its data from Dun and Bradstreet:
“Detailed United States House Of Representatives Company Profile
This company profile is for the private company United States House Of Representatives, branch located in Fremont, CA. Us Congress Rep 13th Dist’s line of business is legislative body.
Company Profile: United States House Of Representatives
Year Started:N/A
State of Incorporation:N/A
URL:www.tammybaldwin.com, www.house.gov, www.electadamsmith.com, www.dondavis.net, www.rodneyalexander.com
Location Type:Branch Location
Parent Companies: House Of Representatives, United States , Government Of The United States
Stock Symbol:N/A
Stock Exchange:N/A
Also Does Business As:Us Congress Rep 13th Dist; Us Congress Rep 13th Dist
NAICS:N/A
SIC #Code:9121
Est. Annual Sales:N/A
Est. Employees:0
Est. Employees at Location:5
Contact Name:Jo Casanoff
Contact Title:Branch Manager
Data above provided by D&B.”
Hillary
Comment Hillary — July 14, 2008 @ 5:31 am
In the state of Massachusetts (1993) a law states you may not compost anything that did not originate on your land. To give manure to a neighbor for their garden it had to be inspected by the “manure police”.
A farmer in a neighboring town was told he could not take the “lees” from pressing his grapes and place them on his grapes because they were a “hazardous waste” from a manufacturing process! He had to hire “Clean Harbours” to take them to a hazardous waste dump!!!!
Comment Snazy snezy — July 17, 2008 @ 12:53 pm