El Toro backs off feedlot expansion
EL CENTRO — In a turn of events, El Toro Export LLC has asked the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to vacate their approval of a plan that would have allowed the company to expand its feedlot operations.
El Toro’s request followed lawsuits filed by Scaroni Properties, Comite Civico del Valle and Heber Public Utility District against Imperial County in opposition to the Aug. 11 approval of the feedlot expansion.
County Public Information Officer Linsey Dale said in a press release that county counsel is reviewing El Toro’s request and will advise the board at its meeting on Tuesday.
In the Aug, 11 public hearing, the board approved a Mitigated Negative Declaration and zone change to allow El Toro, LLC to proceed with the proposed expansion project.
Linda Scaroni Rossi, whose family filed one of the three lawsuits, said El Toro’s decision is all what her family and the other two groups wanted.
In a press release, the Scaroni family commended the principals of El Toro Export for its decision to vacate the expansion of the feedlot in consideration of the community of Heber and surrounding landowners.
The press release stated the county did not have the community’s best interests in mind when the supervisors unanimously approved the expansion.
“We are not against the growth of agricultural business but feel there is a legal process that must be followed to ensure fair mitigation measures for the residents of Heber and the neighboring properties surrounding a project of this magnitude with full transparency,” the Scaroni press release said.
Prior to the hearing, attempts were made by Scaroni’s attorney, Katherine Turner, as well as other parties who filed suit, to identify several flaws in the process that were in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act.
The Scaronis said the most “shocking” claim is that the county reported that it has lost the entire record of a 2007 meeting when supervisors approved the El Toro feedlot with the understanding it would never be expanded.
Because the supervisors unanimously approved the new project, the Scaroni family they had no choice but to challenge the decision in court.
As a result, the family contends the county is financially obligated to cover all legal fees of the parties who filed suit to get this approval vacated.
“It was a waste of county funds that are sorely needed in other areas and an irresponsible abuse of legislative power,” the press release stated. “We urge the (county) to go back to table with El Toro Export and other local cattle companies to expand (agriculture) and economic development in a more suitable location that does not impact a residential community or surrounding vegetable farm ground.”
Board members had moved to approve, without question, despite the Scaroni family urging that they reach out to former board members who attended the 2007 hearing, the complaint had stated.
The lawsuit claimed the county allowed a Mitigated Negative Declaration instead of a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Report to address mitigation measures dealing with air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and impacts to agriculture, and it completely ignored the impacts of a required compost yard that will need to be relocated to another unidentified location.
Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar voted in support of the feedlot expansion because of the importance of cattle in the county.
Supervisors Ryan Kelley and Chairman Luis Plancarte voted in favor because the feedlot expansion had been talked about for years, so this was not rushed through.