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Opponents of Sussex County Industrial Poultry Plant Get their Day in Court
Oct. 13th Superior Court appeal arguments to target potentially hazardous use zoning decision and rules violations by Delaware BOA
WHAT: Oral arguments for the community group Protecting Our Indian River challenging the Sussex County Board of Adjustment (BOA) approval for Allen Harim poultry slaughterhouse.
WHEN: Monday, October 13th | 10:00AM ET
WHERE: Sussex County Court
1 The Circle, Suite 2, Georgetown DE 19947
WHO: Richard Abbott, Esq. for Protecting Our Indian River
Land-use for a massive 2-million bird per week poultry processing plant has been approved for Sussex County.
Yet this decision can be reversed.
Delaware Superior Court Judge Richard F. Stokes has requested oral arguments to clarify key issues regarding procedural and legal errors associated with the Sussex County BOA’s controversial zoning decision. These include:
The BOA did not have jurisdiction to make their decision.
The BOA did not consult relevant agencies to protect public health and water quality, as required by law.
The BOA did not request input from the Delaware Division of Public Health, the Center for the Inland Bays or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which must sign the federal permit to discharge wastewater.
The BOA did not provide notice and conduct public hearings, as required by law.
Once operational, the South Korean-owned Allen Harim plant will discharge unprecedented amounts of animal and pharmaceutical waste into the environment from the processing of two-million chickens each week. This will put community water and air quality at-risk, threaten the health and safety of local residents, and endanger the historic Indian River — a waterway already classified as an impaired by Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
With so many problems and so much at-stake, how can the BOA’s decision stand?
For more information:
Cindy Wilton
Protecting Our Indian River
302-934-8050 | cindywilton2@gmail.com
Maria Payan
Socially Responsible Agricultural Project
717-826-7286 | mariap@sraproject.org