http://olcvblog.typepad.com/olcvblog/2009/05/debate-over.html Tuesday, May 05, 2009 Debate over field burning echoes the past Today, the Oregonian published an editorial on Senate Bill 528, which, as amended, would phase out field burning over the next two years. It barely passed out of committee. The editorial likens this battle to one from decades ago, when wigwam burners were finally put to rest due to enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act. Don’t want to read the whole editorial? At least check out the last four paragraphs: Last summer only about 150 of Oregon's 1,500 grass-seed farmers set fire to their fields. The growers now urging the Legislature to allow them to keep burning are indeed the holdouts, the farming equivalent of the last wigwarm burners that churned out smoke until the state forced them to stop. There are echoes today in the old debates over wigwam burners chronicled in the news clippings and legislative minutes filed away in the Oregon State Library across Center Street from the state Capitol. The rhetoric is the same: A burn ban will kill the industry and cost jobs. There's no evidence that the smoke harms human health. Give us still more time to develop alternatives. A Senate committee has narrowly approved, by a 3-2 vote, a two-year phase-out of Oregon field burning. The grass-seed lobby has countered with amendments that not only would preserve field burning in Oregon, but also write into law an Orwellian euphemism for the practice: "thermal field sanitation." By any name, it is unhealthy smoke that should not be filling the late-summer skies over the Willamette Valley and directed at small, politically powerless "Sacrifice Zone" towns such as Stayton, Lyons and Junction City. The phase-out bill soon will come to a vote in the Senate; the outcome is said to be close. Years from now, when people look back at the deciding votes on this unneeded and unhealthy industrial practice, they will see who was on the right side of history. Posted by Toby Van Fleet on Tuesday, May 05, 2009 at 03:37 PM http://naturalresourcereport.com/2009/03/the-debate-over-ending-field-burning-in-oregon/ The debate over ending field burning in Oregon March 18, 2009 By Guest Opinion, Last week a hearing was held on the bill to stop field burning. Senate Bill 528 calls for an immediate stoppage of field burning in Linn, Benton and Lane Counties with a two year phase out in all other counties. Gail Shibley, Environmental Public Health Office Administrator with the Oregon Human Services Department produced an exhaustive study completed January 2009. That study said there was no direct health issues linked to field burning. Also there have been no violations in air quality due to field burning. The only air quality violations issued were in the winter months due to air inversions not field burning. One of the most active voices in support of ending field burning has been the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). For the ONA field burning is a public health issue. The ONA states that inhalation of fine particulate matter pollution caused by field burning increases the risk of hospitalization from respiratory distress, heart attack and stroke. Farmers respond to this health issue by stating that there is not enough solid data to support these findings. Various agriculture organizations say the that the economic impact of ending field burning could be staggering. The loss could exceed a billion dollars in Oregon. The growing of Oregon Fine Fescue would most likely be entirely eliminated from Oregon. This type of grass must be burned to eliminate pest disease. Ruined wedding http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/02/end_open_burning_of_oregon_gra.html Western Environmental Law Center http://www.westernlaw.org/our-work/cases/banning-field-burning-in-oregon State to state issue http://news.opb.org/article/4878-oregon-and-idaho-debate-field-burning/