A U.S District Court Judge in Arkansas found today that in the case of a 6500-hog industrial facility located in the Buffalo River Watershed just 6 miles from the Buffalo National River, “the public interest is best-served by ensuring that federal tax dollars aren’t backing a farm that could be harming natural resources and an endangered species.”
Today, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas D. Price Marshall issued a decision in an action brought by local, state, and national conservation groups against two federal agencies. The Court found that the federal agencies arbitrarily and capriciously guaranteed loans to the C&H factory farm near the Buffalo National River by failing to take a hard look at environmental impacts and failing to follow proper procedures to protect threatened and endangered species potentially affected by the facility. The following are statements regarding the decision issued today:
“The Court saw the federal government agencies’ actions for what they were—a disdain and complete disregard for the laws that protect our environment,” said Earthjustice attorney Hannah Chang. “We believe the Court’s decision will help to set things straight in this debacle that has put more than $3.6 million in federal taxpayer dollars on the line to support a massive swine factory farm upstream of a treasured national resource.”