Mint farmer, Mike Materna, of Hamlet, will be sentenced in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, October 5th. He plead guilty to one count of Discharge of Pollutants without a Permit in violation of the Clean Air Act. He reportedly admitted in court that he discharged hot water into a ditch without the proper permit.
One of the most important pieces of legislation passed in the most current session of the legislature had to do with mint farming. Republican Representative Tom Dermody was the sponsor of the legislation and he talks about that bill today.
“When we saw what happened last summer, especially with what I consider is the overreaching of government into business, when mint farming and agricultural is so important to LaPorte and Counties, I put legislation together that will protect the mint farmers,” said Dermody. “It was protect them, especially during this season, against the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and allow them to plant while testing goes on to check for VOCs in the mint farming industry which we already know the mint farmers will pass. This does not allow them to regulate any new permitting on them and will protect them through the season. What the State has to realize is how important mint farmers are to our revenue source, jobs and to agriculture in general. This is something that was supported by many and it protects the overreaching arm of government.”
