Legislative bureaucracy smothered any chance House Bill 3000 had of making it to the House floor for a vote. As some Oregon agricultural committees rejoice, many of the bill’s supporters warn that residents of Willamette Valley may suffer the adverse effects of open field burning.
“They put together a bill that would have had too much of a negative impact, too broad of an economic impact on the agricultural community of Oregon,” said Katie Fast, associate director of governmental affairs for the Oregon Farm Bureau.
House Bill 3000 proposed the prohibition of open field fires that are used to protect crops from disease and fungus as well as destroy any leftover unused crop. The bill would also ban propane flaming, stack burning and pile burning.
“Overall, this bill would greatly improve the air quality in Eugene during the traditional, agricultural, grass-field burning season. Overall, the bill is beneficial to the City of Eugene,” Eric Wold, parks and open space resource manager for the City of Eugene Public Works, said in his report about the bill.
HB 3000 had passed out of the House Health Care Committee and was recommended to the House Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee, also know as the House Ag. Committee. After hearing testimony on Monday afternoon, the committee chair, Arnie Roblan, decided against holding a work session on the bill.
As 5 p.m. approached and the April 30 deadline to pass all House bills out of the House Ag. Committee rolled by, HB 3000 was effectively killed.
Representative Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) introduced the bill as a means to combat air pollution that can be harmful to anyone with a respiratory disease or problem. Rep. Holvey had the backing of a number of heavyweight medical and health associations such as the Oregon Medical Association, the American Lung Association of Oregon and the Lane County Medical Society, as well as the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners.
“The bill is dead, but they may change the verbiage so it is somewhat different next time,” said Randi Zimmer, a legislative analyst for the City of Eugene.
Oregon legislature operates on a bi-annual schedule so the next available chance for a similar bill to be introduced will be in early 2009. There is a short legislative session that will run in February 2008, but the outlook is dim for any chance of the bill to make it all the way to the House floor for a vote at that time.
“We’re disappointed and if another bill like this is introduced we will support it,” said Paige Webster, director of communication for The Oregon Medical Association. “It could be problematic for people with respiratory problems and clearly people that live in Willamette Valley will feel the same impact that they have before from the open field burning.”
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Burning ban bill goes up in smoke in House committee
Daily Emerald
May 1, 2007
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