A Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge blocked an environmental group’s legal bid this week to stop the building of a chicken farm west of Salisbury, Maryland that would be the largest in the county.
Judge S. James Sarbanes’ ruling upheld a Wicomico Board of Appeals decision last year not to hear the group’s appeal in the case. An attorney for the Wicomico board argued and Judge Sarbanes agreed that the Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs, based in Salisbury, failed to submit paperwork on time.
Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs attempted to file an appeal last November to the farm’s building permit. The permit allowed 10 poultry houses to be constructed, making it large enough to quality under the federal definition of a concentrated animal-feeding operation (CAFO).
Wicomico County code sets a 30-day deadline for opponents to turn in building permit appeals. Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs faxed in the documents on the 30th day, but the document were time-stamped 27 minutes after county offices closed for the day.
The ruling removes the last regulatory obstacle for the farm. However, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs vowed to “explore all options” to continue the fight.
