St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A controversial proposal to expand a dairy farming operation near Lewiston has suffered a major setback in the courts.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals issued a ruling today that overturns the State Pollution Control Agency’s decision to not require a costly Environmental Impact Statement on the Daley Farms' plans to expand its operation to handle 3,000 cows. The decision was challenged by 2 environmental advocacy groups that argued the size of the farming operation posed a risk to the region's groundwater aquifers because of southeastern Minnesota's porous Karst geology.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals found the MPCA decision was arbitrary and capricious and ordered the state regulatory agency to reconsider its findings concerning the groundwater contamination issue. The proposal has been the subject of significant public debate. The MPCA received over 600 comments from the public last fall before deciding against requiring an EAS.
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