Central Bi-Products is on the hook for $3 million after state investigators concluded its Long Prairie rendering plant repeatedly violated air and wastewater permits and sent hydrogen sulfide odors drifting into nearby neighborhoods. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says the problems triggered a flood of local complaints and will now trigger a sizable payout to Todd County.
Because of a 2023 state law, 40 percent of any MPCA fine over $250,000 must be forwarded to the community health board where the facility operates. In this case, that means roughly $1.2 million is slated for Todd County, to be spent on projects chosen with input from residents who have been living with the smell.
Company leaders and state officials say Central Bi-Products has started installing new monitoring and treatment systems and plans to spend millions more to prevent future hydrogen sulfide releases.
The MPCA enforcement notice found that the facility “improperly treated” wastewater from the fall of 2023 through 2024 and that hydrogen sulfide exceedances topped 900 instances during that time, according to WJON. Regulators say the violations hit both air and wastewater permits and lined up with odor complaints from neighbors around the plant.
Permit Background And Monitoring
The Long Prairie facility’s wastewater permit recently went through a reissuance process that included a public comment period earlier this year. The MPCA’s public notice lists the Long Prairie Complex as the permit site and names agency staff for questions. The notice from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency lays out the draft permit language along with the review schedule.
Money For The County
A 2023 change in Minnesota law requires the MPCA to send 40 percent of any civil penalty above $250,000 to the community health board in the county where the violating facility sits. The statute, published by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, directs the agency to notify the health board and move the funds so projects can be picked with resident input rather than decided entirely in St. Paul.
Company Response And Next Steps
Central Bi-Products, which is operated by Farmers Union Industries, has begun installing air monitors, upgrading wastewater treatment processes, hosting community meetings and building a public website that will show hydrogen sulfide readings, according to company and agency accounts. The company has also agreed to spend more than $4 million on pollution controls, WJON reported.
Farmers Union Industries lists the Long Prairie Complex among its operations and provides contact information for the plant, giving residents and local officials a direct line to the company as the fixes roll out.
What Residents Should Expect
Todd County Community Health & Human Services will manage the roughly $1.2 million share of the penalty and is expected to meet with affected residents to identify projects that address local health and environmental concerns. County leaders will be under pressure to show that money from the fine actually circles back to the people who lived with the odors in the first place.
Residents who want to track what happens next can contact the MPCA directly or review the draft permit materials and related documents through the agency’s public notice system.
