Pillen neighbor voices concerns
October 14, 2022 Dear Editor: As one of Jim Pillen's neighbors in a rural community, and as I am a lifelong 74 year old farmer, I have breathed the toxic air emitting from his hog confinement lagoons and his land applications of hog waste often. Land recycling of livestock manure for fertilizer is a very important step to put valuable nutrients back into production but Mr. Pillen's practices are overloading and contaminating our water and air. He dumps many times the amount of nutrients that a crop will use or soil can hold. The overload is washed away during rainfall events. Rivers, streams and aquifers are polluted everyday in one way or another as Pillen Family Farms pollutes our water resources with manure runoff, acid rain and infiltration of effluent into our ground water. Towns across the state must relocate wells for drinking water or spend millions of dollars on waste treatment plants while operators like Jim Pillen continue to pollute.
He has built many of these operations in communities by coming in the back door. HetoutsthatheisaConservative Christian. Manipulating people with pork sandwiches, money and back door deals doesn't follow Christian practices that I understand. His absence in public debates with other candidates clearly shows he is not willing to face the public and be transparent. The governor appoints the board of directors on the Nebraska Environmental Quality council. Will Mr. Pillen have our health, well-being and safety in mind? CLEARLY NO!
Jim Knopik Belgrade, NE