NRD delays decision on Blackshirt Feeders variance

For the second time in a week members of the public had a chance to comment on the proposed Blackshirt Feeders, LP feedlot in Dundy County.
The Dundy County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit with stipulations after a four-hour public hearing last week.
Monday, the Dundy County Commissioners discussed the CUP, but took no action on it. The commissioners set March 16 at 1:30 p.m. for their public hearing.
This week it was the Upper Republican Natural Resource District board which heard comments as it reconsiders the feedlot’s water variance.
The URNRD board had rejected Blackshirt Feeders’ proposal at a December 2021 meeting, but URNRD at-large board member Brock Stromberger and Blackshirt Feeders requested it be added to the URNRD board agenda once more.
Out of around 40 members of the public at the meeting, 14 spoke to the board.
There was concern that Blackshirt Feeders plans to retire wells 17 miles from their site and drill three new wells, especially with a moratorium in place.
Most had concerns about the level of water for their wells around the site and said they have already had to add pipe to their wells.
Monte Nordhausen, a member of the Dundy County Planning Commission who voted to approve the CUP last week, spoke to the URNRD against the project.
Nordhausen said little-by-little the new wells in the area add up and he doesn’t believe in the water models provided to the URNRD.
The people making the water models in Lincoln won’t suffer the consequences if they’re wrong, Nordhausen said, and he encouraged the board to make a long-term plan.
The Chase County Commissioners paused their bimonthly meeting Tuesday so they could attend the URNRD meeting.
Commissioner Duane Dinnel said if the variance had been voted down once, it was an insult for the board to be asked to reconsider it if there’s no new info.
Dinnel reminded the board that the NRD was set up to preserve and protect groundwater for future generations, and asked that any board member who has had discussions with Blackshirt Feeders abstain from the variance vote. URNRD legal counsel Joel Burke assured Dinnel that the board would make sure there is no conflict.
Following the public comments, Blackshirt Feeders’ owner, Eric Behlke, and Steve Westerbuhr, with Settje Agri-Services and Engineering, gave a presentation similar to the one given at the Dundy County Planning Commission hearing.
The pair answered questions from the public and the URNRD board.
After several hours of comments and discussions, Stromberger moved to put off acting on the variance until the URNRD’s meeting March 1 to give the variance committee time to add stipulations, such as making sure the feedlot would not have any carryover. All 11 board members approved.
Additional details will be provided in a story in next week’s Republican.