Just last Monday, I met with more than 200 residents in Latta, in Dillon County. We joined together to protect our farmers, our families and our communities from factory-style hog farms. Across the border in North Carolina, towns have felt the impact of uncontrolled hog factory farms. These factory-style swine facilities have had a devastating impact on families and farms in our neighbor to the north.

In 1996, we adopted stringent, comprehensive regulations to keep these factory-style corporate hog farms away from South Carolina. Since then, we've had only seven hog farms permitted in this state, and none of them are on the scale of North Carolina's corporate hog farms. Recently, however, that's changed. Two of these giant factory farms have applied to set up shop in South Carolina. We have word that at least three more may be close behind. This is unacceptable.

Hog farms harm our environment. Animal waste runs off into nearby streams and rivers, harming water quality. In the aftermath Hurricane Floyd, it has cost the state of North Carolina at least $40 million to clean up the environmental mess caused by hog waste lagoons that flooded into nearby towns.

Hog farms harm economic development. In recent years, my economic development team has been breaking records for capital investment in rural areas. In 1999, companies invested a record $1.8 billion in rural communities. Last year, a record number of rural companies announced investment in rural South Carolina. These economic gains could be threatened by factory-style hog farms. In Latta, the proposed hog farm would be built just down the road from a promising industrial park. One day, that industrial park will be home to the business and industry that will revitalize that part of rural South Carolina. But that will not happen if we stand aside and let these corporate hog farms set up shop in our communities.

We cannot allow our rich and vibrant quality of life to be eroded by reckless hog factory farms. That is why I signed an emergency moratorium on hog farms. With the stroke of a pen, we banned the approval of new hog factory farms for fifteen days, the maximum allowed by law. During those fifteen days, I will order the DHEC board to meet and review their regulations.

I have also called on the legislature to take action. This past week, a bipartisan group of Pee Dee area lawmakers introduced legislation to restrict factory hog farms even further. The proposed legislation would establish an indefinite ban on future facilities of 250 or more swine. These tougher laws will protect our families. We have a historic chance to protect South Carolina. We will not let this opportunity pass us by.