Read this week's edition of Locke Notes...
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Hi John,
Racism, regulation, and raising hogs. How are these connected?
Well, our policy analyst Kelly Lester recently published an op-ed in FOX News ([link removed]) in response to a documentary that painted hog waste management in North Carolina as a form of “environmental racism.”
In today’s Locke Notes, we’ll break down why North Carolina’s hog waste is not an issue of race, and how decreasing government regulation can lead to real solutions for hog farmers and other residents.
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Hog Waste: Environmental Racism?
Hog farming forms an essential part of North Carolina’s economy. In fact, our state is the third largest pork producer in the country. However, the industry does produce a lot of waste.
The Smell of Money ([link removed]) , a recent Hollywood documentary, alleges that this excess waste is a form of “environmental racism” because its negative health and environmental effects disproportionately impact people of color.
This claim is entirely without basis and ignores the true nature of the problem.
No evidence exists that race was considered when hog farming permits were issued (race certainly was considered in other areas, like when the Federal Housing Administration practiced “redlining” as a form of race-based housing discrimination). However, in the case of hog farming, land use, poverty, and development patterns are more pertinent factors in determining who has been most affected by hog waste, regardless of race.
A Free Market Solution
Government regulation has discouraged hog farmers from exploring cleaner measures of handling the waste they create.
That is why we propose an agricultural sandbox, which waives regulations for new innovations to see if they can succeed. Such a policy could spur the development of more effective waste management methods. Furthermore, lifting the existing moratorium on starting new hog farms and expanding old ones could encourage farmers to implement new practices as they grow their business.
The government must also respect the property rights of its citizens. The state currently enforces a cap on damages from lawsuits against hog farmers, depriving residents of measures to protect their safety. The cap also shields hog farmers from the consequences of their waste management practices, further discouraging innovation. In order for hog farmers to move to less wasteful methods, they must face the full environmental costs they place on communities without state intervention.
This isn’t an issue of race; it’s about allowing freedom to innovate, decreasing government regulation, and respecting citizen’s property rights to usher in a cleaner, more prosperous North Carolina.
Learn more about this important sector of North Carolina’s economy! ([link removed])
Esse Quam Videri,
Brooke Medina
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