Potential New Jobs Could Go to Waste
Would you take 600 new jobs in your community if it meant also taking 72 thousand new cattle? Bion Environmental technologies wants to bring 600 jobs to the town of Schroeppel but some residents are saying no thanks, find out why and how this issue for affects all of Oswego County. Joining George Kilpatrick are Mike Lattimore, and Karen Hall from Citizens for Family Farms.
15 Comments to “Potential New Jobs Could Go to Waste”
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Jennifer Johnson says:
Six hundred new jobs will NOT make up for the environmental and public health destruction that will occur! PLEASE read Animal Factory by David Kirby (it’s at the Phoenix Public Library) and learn about the people who have lived near these factory farms. They cause IRREPARABLE damage to the water, soil, and air, and will drive property values down. Keep in mind that one spill from a lagoon or a truck full of liquid manure will eventually make its way to Lake Ontario, which provides 2.3 MILLION people with drinking water. That is not what we want for this county! St. Lawrence County, one of the poorest in the state, has already rejected this project. It’s time for us to do the same, no matter how early!
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Sybil Gouchie says:
I would like to clarify a few things from last nights show. First off according to Bion’s own website, they list 196 jobs in Oswego County. They say the 196 jobs in the slaughter house would be low paying, filled by foreign nations according to Bion’s own reports. These low paying jobs will burden our schools and social services. It is a statistic that migrant workers will bring on average 2.6 children with them. At 196 jobs, that is 510 children into our school system which will raise school taxes. These families are below the proverty level. Workers are in filthy, dangerous conditions which exploit, jobs that do not pay enough to support families or provide health insurance. I do not want to work in a slaughter house, nor does anyone in my family. This would not benefit me at all and stands to hurt me. Financially hurts my family and it threatens our health as well. It is a threat not an opportunity. 196 jobs like these are not the jobs that we need.
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Joyce Lovelace says:
It would all depend on how those 72K would be farmed. A thousand small sustainable farms with 72 head each would be wonderful, and would probably create more than 600 jobs. But that’s not what BION is proposing, and they are not proposing that the jobs will pay well either. This proposal is a “waste” of our time.
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Noreen Patterson says:
I am a resident of the Town of Schroeppel and these are the questions I posted on the BionOswegoProject.com website: “We have been told there will be from 300-600 jobs for this project. That is
a large spread for a company that has all ready determined the size of their
operation. What is the approximate number of individuals that would be
classified as farm workers, ranch and animal. How many would be classified
as slaughterers? Approximately, how many trucks and drivers would you need
to haul feed, cattle and manure to their various destinations for your
different plans of one farm versus, well, more than one farm? What is the
business model for this project? Does your company expect any tax breaks or
government subsidies from New York State or Oswego County?” The answers provided by Bion are pretty slick but don’t really directly respond to anything I asked.
The key items that stand out for me are they did not have approximate numbers for any of the jobs and they stated “It is anticipated that Bion will seek the usual range of Federal and/or New York State (often provided or funneled through local and county agencies) economic development incentives for job creation and/or local economic benefits of projects of the scope and impact of Bion’s proposed integrated agricultural/renewable energy facilities.”
It should also be noted that Bion Technologies, Inc financial statements filed with the FCC disclose that there are serious doubts about their ability as a “going concern”. Bion Technologies, Inc is a development group and the Circle Four Farm in Utah that they were involved with used Global Horizons, a company that imports foreign nationals to work on that project.
Therefore, I’m not comfortable with the fact that Bion would even provide 600 jobs and I don’t want one cent of my tax dollars used to develop a project that could bankrupt my community. Thank you -
John Gouchie says:
Like many people my investment is in my home. We built our own home and have a lot of time, energy and money invested in it. It is an assest we are hoping to leave to our children.
Isn’t it bad enough that so many have lost their retirement money in the stock market. With this crazy 72,000 to 200,000 cow project we stand to lose our money once more. For some of us our homes are all we have left.
Who would want to live here with 72,000 to 200,000 cows. Even George Kilpatrick, who was playing the devils advocate for Bion and the Town of Schroeppel Board, could not say that he would live here. I don’t care how great the technology is there will be system failures and accidents. Manure at this level is not just manure, it is toxic waste.
This will drive down property values and we will not be able to sell our homes to escape the cows and pollution. I will be applying for a reduction in my homes assessment and I urge others to contact their Town of Schroeppel assessor to voice this issue yourselves.
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Sybil Gouchie says:
The statement from the Town of Schroeppel Board which was presented on the show was softened quiet a bit.
The statement taken from the original resolution read as follows.
Town Supervisor Paul Casler said “I look forward to working with Bion. It is an exciting project for Central New York and we’re very happy to welcome Bion to the Town of Schroeppel” “urges other federal, state, and local officials to work cooperatively toward the development of the Bion project”
Mr. Casler’s statement starts out with “I” not “we”. And Mr. Casler and this board made this decision all by themselves to invite a total stranger into our town. A stranger they knew nothing about, did no research on, and are listening to and following above the people of this town. People who elected them to represent each of us in this community. I do not feel represented and really feel
mis-represented. This will show in my actions at the next election of board members.At the last public town meeting, this board was presented with a petition with 800 signatures, hundreds from the town of Schroeppel, and other residence and tax payers of the Phoenix school district. The petition asks the board to rescind this resolution. Once again this board disregarded the voice of the community.
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Jill Gouchie says:
Just because you add “Bio” in front of a word, does not make it “Green”.
Is it green to add pollution to the environment? Pollution that was not there to begin with.
This project is like a Development Company taking millions of gallons of crude oil and dumping them into Lake Ontario. Using their wonderful technology to clean up 80% of the pollution and getting paid to clean up this 80%. The 20% that remains in the lake would still be a huge amount of pollution and would cause great harm to people and the environment.
Does this sound like “Green”????
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The cows 72,000 cows for starters then expanding to 200,000 cows according to Bion’s own reports. Cows from the West & Canada. Not even local cows, supporting local farmers. Cows that risk bringing disease into this town.
Cows being packed into trucks and driven by our homes and businesses each and everyday. 600 cows each and everyday being slaughtered in our town. How many trucks is that, this will wreck our roads. The cows will urinate and defecate while in the trucks, leaking out on to the roads, for people to drive through and walk through.
Sick cows could be driving by our homes with diseases that we have never had around here. Reports state that with certain diseases, all animals within a ten mile radius would have to be killed, animals on local farms, cows and horses, goats and chickens, family pets, cats & dogs. All animals. How is Bion planning to protect us against this.
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This system is unproven, has never been done, we would be their guinea pigs. The test model CAFO in Pennsylvania, is on a much smaller scale 3,000 cows.
There is no comparison in the climate or number of animals!!! The CAFO technology in PA sounds like a good thing. It is small scale, turns manure into energy to run the farm. This makes Bion look like they are pro-environmental.
It is not a model for the project here. There is no comparison. That is not what they want to bring to Schroeppel. They want huge amounts of manure to make huge amounts of credits and subsidies. That is where Bion will make the money. Isn’t it always about the money, green money, the green greed of money. Is that what they mean by “Green”?
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Ethanol is a lie.
It leaves a bigger carbon foot print on the environment then gasoline. It uses too much energy to produce. It is not the fuel of the future and will soon be obsolete. There is a lot of research out about this fact. We already have an ethanol plant in Fulton. What will we do with another obsolete, empty ethanol plant??
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Will Bion be getting tax relief from the Oswego County Industrial Development Association (OC IDA)??? OC IDA often gives tax relief. If so how much tax relief for Bion and for how long will this tax relief last? Long enough for them to make their money and get out?
Bion is a development company, they will build this huge project, make their money and move out. They will not bond the project and will have no liability for what they leave behind.
Tax relief for Bion will not add to our tax base. We stand to gain nothing and have everything to lose.
I do not want to work in a slaughter house, no one in my family wants to work in a slaughter house and I don’t know too many people here who would be willing to work in this type of job, grueling jobs for minimum wage. These jobs exploit and due not provide a wage to support a family.
In Bion’s past history it is stated that workers from foreign nations will fill many of these types of jobs. These workers will bring children to our school system. Increasing children in school increases our school tax.
Others families will try to move out of the area, they will lose money because their property will be worth less. Property values will certainly go down. Driving down the middle class tax base. Who wants to live with 72,000 to 200,000 cows around. I certainly will not stay here even if I do lose the investment in my home.
600 cows a day being driven to slaughter. Our infrastruture will be in need of repair & restructure. Truck after truck full of cows driving our roads into the ground. Roads will cost tax payers money.
When there is an accidental manure spill or the technology fails, which is bound to happen, the tax payers will foot that bill as well.
This is the craziest idea I have heard. Bring it to existing CAFOs where the problem of manure already exists. We do not have a manure problem and do not wish to have one.
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Kathy Strang says:
Thanks for bringing this issue to the attention of the CNY viewing area.
As for Mr. Kilpatrick’s question about eating locally how a beef processing plant would play into the increasingly popular “local food” movement, I would like to clarify the local food movement focuses on opportunities for American farmers, particularly small and mid-sized farms that have found it difficult to compete in today’s global markets for agricultural commodities. Local foods are often organic, minimally processed and purchased at a farmers market or directly from the farmer.
Beef from a slaughterhouse that kills 600 cows a day is not considered a local food and would not fit into the locavore philosophy.
Dr. John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri Columbia College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources gives a good explanation of the local food movement and its origins in the paper from his presentation “Healthy Food, Local Food”
The local food movement isn’t about the miles between the food source and consumers, it is about buying fresh healthy foods from people you know and trust.
Buying beef produced in a CAFO and processed by a slaughterhouse does not qualify as “eating local”.
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I find it interesting that the Town of Schroeppel board members have basically pre-approved the Bion project on their own, and yet at the meeting I attended they were blasting us for voicing our opposition before they had a written proposal in hand. We need to oppose the Bion project NOW, not when they’re breaking ground on who knows how many slaughterhouses! I also found it interesting that neither Bion representatives nor anyone from the board appeared on the show. I have read all the comments on this website and heard the opinions at the meeting, and so far I have not found one person who supports this project. I just hope the board will represent its people if and when the proposal is handed to them.
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Robert Mevec says:
What I do not understand of the not in my back yard mentality is this. There are people that would go there to work. It would have to be Union butchers because this is a Union state so the wages would be good. The USDA has to have inspectors here to inspect the cattle and processing. This state is not gonna let them build unless they have the sewage and processing under the state mandates which are strict.
If there is anything is to complain about is the rampant welfare fraud and abuse in the county that drives my taxes high and the meth labs and the crack dens being raided weekly in our county. Before we start taking away jobs. We need to clean out the welfare fraud and abuse and the drug labs.
Why did the Town of Schroeppel Board approve the Bion project without polling the residents first?A project of this magnitude will change each and every resident’s way of life.What jobs would this provide?How many people will be applying to shovel manure and slaughter beef?What are the assurances that our groundwater won’t get contaminated?With 72,000 cows there would have to be odor, flies, and truck traffic yet we are supposed to believe that this will not be problematic.Would this facility attract tourists and families that want to build in the Town of Schroeppel or would it deter people from wanting to even just visit?Bion should have had a representative on your television show. Why didn’t they?Give the residents a chance to vote on whether this project is something we want in our backyard or not.