LONE JACK, Mo. – On Dec. 10, The Missouri Clean Water Commission rejected the proposed expansion of Valley Oaks Steak Co. after other state officials granted a stay earlier in 2018.

The Kansas City Star reported that members of the commission gave “little detail” on what determined the vote. KSHB-TV in Kansas City also reported that Valley Oaks refiled a permit for expansion on the same site.

In late July, the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission (AHC) granted a stay on the project in Lone Jack, Missouri.

Valley Oaks expected the expansion to create more than 50 jobs in an initial permit in June. According to its permit request, Valley Oaks Steaks plans to blend the feedlot’s manure with wood chips and store it in a warehouse to be processed into fertilizer.

On June 15, The Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources issued a permit for Valley Oaks Steak to increase the number of cattle it can maintain in its animal feedlot operation to 6,999.

The current limit is 999 head of cattle. In the stay, Valley Oaks also stated that it plans on adding 2,600 head of cattle by the end of 2018. The company is already in a five-year, $55 million contract with Scavuzzo’s Food Delivery Service in Kansas.

Missouri DNR granted a Class IB NPDES permit to Valley Oaks Steak at the Lone Jack facility, which makes it subject to concentrated animal feeding operations regulations and permit requirements. The government agency also said that their staff reviewed the application for completeness and compliance with the Missouri Clean Water Law and the Missouri Clean Water Commission regulations.

According to the stay, Powell Gardens Inc., Ryan and Elizabeth Deich, and the Robert M. Chamness Trust filed a complaint on June 27 appealing the same permit.

Next on July 3, Valley Oaks filed a motion to intervene in both cases which were granted. During a hearing on July 9, the commission held a combined hearing to discuss their decision with all parties concerned.

Powell Gardens, a botanical garden nearby, claimed in their appeal that they opposed expansion because of possible odor, water quality and plant-harming parasites that could linger from the expanded livestock facility. There are also about 800 homes within three miles of the feedlot.