On December 6, 2017, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens announced the appointment of three new members to the state’s Clean Water Commission. The three new members — Stan Coday, John Kleiboeker and Pat Thomas — appear to lack appropriate qualifications for serving on the Commission. Each has close ties to the agricultural industry:
- Coday is a farmer and retired agriculture teacher from Mansfield, Missouri, and serves as president of the Wright County Farm Bureau;
- Kleiboeker is the owner of Kleiboeker’s Clover Creek Farms in Stotts City and previously served as the executive director of the Missouri Beef Industry Council; and
- Thomas is the chief of staff for state Senator Brian Munzlinger and secretary of the Missouri Republican Party State Committee.
As a result of the new appointments, a majority of the Commission’s members now come from industry, which opponents say is inappropriate given that it is responsible for granting permits to large factory farms.