News
Attorneys win EPA Environmental Achievement Awards

September 18, 2008, Denver, CO –
Jeff Sveen and Rod Tobin were awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s Environmental Achievement Award for superior leadership in
obtaining water pollution control permits for all South Dakota
Hutterite colonies with concentrated animal feeding operations.

September 18, 2008, Denver, CO – Jeff Sveen and Rod Tobin were awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Achievement Award for superior leadership in obtaining water pollution control permits for all South Dakota Hutterite colonies with concentrated animal feeding operations.

Sveen and Tobin are attorneys with Siegel, Barnett & Schutz, L.L.P.

Sveen and Tobin represent at least 56 Hutterite Colonies in South Dakota. The Hutterites are the largest producers of confined livestock in South Dakota. Each colony consists of about 100 to 150 people in a community with a portion of their income generated through the production of swine, turkeys, beef and dairy cattle, chickens, ducks, and geese in concentrated animal feeding operations and animal feeding operations.

The Hutterite Colonies are leaders of the South Dakota livestock production industry. Most of the colonies in South Dakota have been proactively constructing manure containment systems since before the Clean Water Act was passed. However, some did not have manure management systems and some of the existing systems were inadequate to meet current standards. Because they had existing, multiple livestock operations, it was a complex process for many of the colonies to construct or reconstruct manure containment systems so they could get permitted under the general water pollution control permit for concentrated animal feeding operations.

“Thanks to the leadership of Mr. Sveen and Mr. Tobin, and the hard work of the Hutterites, the Hutterite colonies all have general permit coverage now,” said Lawrence Grandison, director of the office of communication and public involvement in the EPA’s Region 8 office. “This is indeed a huge environmental accomplishment.”