000127 IBP Blasts U.S. Lawsuit Against Nebraska Plant

Washington - Leading U.S. meatpacker IBP Inc. denied government charges of water and air pollution at one of its meat plants and blamed government bureaucracy for holding up environmental improvements.

The Justice Department said IBP's plant in Dakota City, Nebraska, spewed uncontrolled amounts of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia into the air and into the Missouri River. The emissions violated the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, prosecutors said.

IBP denied the allegations of wrongdoing and said it was “disappointed” the federal government chose to resolve the issue in court.

The firm said it has been trying for two years to get government permits to build new covered lagoons and make other improvements that would result in cleaner local air.

“However, we have continually run into bureaucratic roadblocks,” IBP said in a statement. “The federal government has now filed a legal action, which will create months, and perhaps years, of additional delays.”

The firm said it reached an agreement with Nebraska officials last November to obtain the permits for making $13 million in environmental improvements and expand the plant's hide tannery, but a month later the state backed out of the deal after it said federal government approval was also needed.

IBP said it would like to proceed with the Dakota City project this year, but the litigation will result in another missed construction season.

“We cannot move forward without the necessary permits from the government,” the company said.

IBP also said state environmental officials determined that the ammonia levels released by its plant into the Missouri River did not cause “an adverse environmental impact.”

The government seeks a court order forcing IBP to cover or close six waste lagoons at the Nebraska plant, and to install additional treatment facilities to control discharges into the Missouri River.

The Nebraska facility is one of ten beef plants and six pork plants owned by IBP, the biggest U.S. meatpacker.

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