The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

by Karla Kay Edwards
Cascade Policy Institute,

Water is the lifeblood of the Oregon economy. Whether it’s the water that turns the turbines to generate clean and cheap energy, acts as the essential nutrient for agricultural commodities, or provides a multitude of recreational opportunities and environmental essentials, water is needed for every aspect of our lives and economy. Yet, Oregon continues to pass bills like HB 3369, which allowed one storage project to move forward while creating huge hurdles for any new proposed projects to clear. This can lead to the stifling of opportunities to store water at favorable times and create efficiencies within various water uses.

by Dennis Westlind
Stoel Rives LLP, Attorneys at Law

The EPA announced its long awaited “endangerment” and “cause or contribute” findings in relation to six key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. While technically this announcement is of limited significance (applying only to motor vehicle emissions), the policy import of these determinations is tremendous.

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court held that greenhouse gases are air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act in the Massachusetts v. EPA decision. This case arose in relation to EPA’s choice not to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from new motor vehicles. The Court held that EPA must determine whether or not emissions of greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare, or whether the science is too uncertain to make a reasoned decision.

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Congress Pushes to the Finish, Pushes Off Some Key Issues
National Association of Wheat Growers

One Chamber of Congress rushed to get home last week, ultimately leaving a number of major issues undone and tough choices for the new legislative session next year.

Surprising many, the House adjourned Wednesday without addressing the estate tax, which is set to expire completely in 2010 and return at higher rates in 2011. NAWG and other agricultural groups have been working to pressure Congress to undertake estate tax reform that instills predictability into the system and takes into account the unique circumstances of family farming operations.

AFBF speaks on Fox News re: Clean Water Restoration Act
American Farm Bureau Federation,
Support local Oregon farm Bureau here

How passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act would affect farmers and ranchers was the subject of a Fox News broadcast story on Sunday. Don Parrish, water expert with the American Farm Bureau Federation, appeared live on a segment about the issue.

Parrish explained that removing the word “navigable” from the Clean Water Act would harm America’s food producers by allowing federal regulation of all interstate and intrastate waters, including puddles, ditches and farm ponds. If the bill becomes law, farmers and ranchers would likely be forced to apply for expensive permits, Parrish said.  Jump to AFBF’s Don Parrish’s interview in story (video):

Tests show some cured eggs killed juvenile salmon and steelhead
By Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife,

SALEM, Ore. – A recent study by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirms some commercially-available cured fish eggs – a popular salmon and steelhead bait – are harmful to juvenile salmon and steelhead. ODFW released the results of its study today. ODFW and Oregon State University scientists tested a random sample of commercially-available cured eggs and found that some juvenile fish died after ingesting some brands. Specific mortality levels varied among products and ranged from 0 to 30 percent.

Oregon State Representative Jean Cowan calls Senator Maria Cantwell’s threats for hearings an “abuse of power,” comments “disrespectful”
Release by
Oregon State Representative Jean Cowan,

NEWPORT – State Rep. Jean Cowan (D-Newport) responded to a press release from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) today, calling Cantwell’s comments “disrespectful” towards Newport, Ore. and that her threat to hold Congressional hearings on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would be an “abuse of power.”

“Relocating NOAA’s Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) has been a very open and transparent process – one that the Port of Newport competed in fairly and presented the best, most cost effective overall package that makes sense,” said Cowan. “Senator Cantwell is improperly using her committee chairmanship to try and change a decision that directly impacts her state. This conflict of interest is the type of politics that Americans are tired of.”

By Oregon Department of Agriculture,

The perception and reality that Oregon is generally a wet and soggy state seems at odds with the fact that the state’s agriculture relies heavily on irrigation. But the results of a national farm and ranch irrigation survey confirm that Oregon is one of the top users in the US of irrigation for agricultural production. The amount of irrigated acreage has actually gone up the past five years in Oregon even though the number of farms using irrigation has gone down.

“Oregon is a wet state seasonally, but we live in a maritime climate which generally brings drier summers during our growing season and the need for irrigation,” says Jim Johnson, land use and water planning coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “When you look at the value of the portion of Oregon agriculture that relies on irrigation in terms of the percentage of total production, it has an even greater importance.”

Award video highlighting Bob Terry of Fisher Farms as the 2009 Agriculturist of the Year as honored by the Agri-Business Council of Oregon

DSL Proposes Rule Changes Affecting Farmers and Ranchers Across Oregon
By Oregon Farm Bureau,

The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is proposing new rule changes that will have a tremendous impact on property owners along navigable rivers, coastal rivers and streams.   Please take a moment to review these changes and submit comments if you are a part of the affected community.

The rule changes of most concern are as follows:

By John Hart
American Farm Bureau Federation,

With the United Nations climate talks occurring in Copenhagen and the recent finding by the Environmental Protection Agency that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, global warming is once again making headlines. Senate leaders are promising passage of a massive climate change bill by the spring, which will move the issue front and center on Capitol Hill in the new year.

In the meantime, many of America’s hard-working farmers and ranchers are actively involved in Farm Bureau’s “Don’t Cap Our Future” campaign. They are driving home the point that climate change legislation, currently before Congress, will raise energy and food costs and reduce U.S. food production. The negative impact of climate change on food production has been little noticed by much of the media or by policy makers in Washington, which is a travesty because all of us are impacted when food costs climb.

John Buckman
Oregon Department of Forestry

A $2.2 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant was awarded recently to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The funds will put previously idled workers back to work conducting non-commercial thinning operations on more than 3,000 acres of private forestland in ODF’s Northeast Oregon District. In total, the grant is expected to create approximately 40 to 50 direct jobs.

Timber Industry Encouraged by Wyden Introduction of Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2009
By American Forest Resource Council

Portland, OR–The American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry trade association based in Portland, Oregon, is hopeful Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) introduction of the Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2009 and the program of work it envisions will benefit all Oregonians. AFRC appreciates the work of both Senator Wyden and members of the environmental community who, together with industry representatives in Eastern Oregon, were involved in crafting this template for moving forward.

Wyden Brings Oregon Timber and Conservation Groups Together for Central, Eastern Oregon Forests and Families
– Decades-old logjam broken to restore Oregon forests and Oregon jobs
By US Senator Ron Wyden,

Washington, D.C. – After decades of warring over Oregon’s national forests, representatives from Oregon’s timber industry and conservation groups joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today to introduce legislation that will promote active management of 8.3 million acres in six national forests east of the Cascades.  The agreement would resolve decades of bitter disputes over harvest levels and watershed and old growth protection, and lead to a significant and sustainable increase in harvest in at-risk forests all across central and eastern Oregon.

Natural Resource Report,
Press release material below provided by Oregon Wheat Growers,

Senator Martha Schrader, (D) Canby; Senator Joanne Verger (D) Coos Bay; Senator David Nelson (R) Pendleton; Rep.Bruce Hanna (R) Roseburg; Rep. Mike Schaufler (D) Happy Valley;

Representative Schaufler was present to accept his award.  Representative Schaufler served on the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee; Transportation Committee; the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development together with Chairing the Business and Labor Committee.

Barry Bushue reelected as Oregon Farm Bureau President
By Oregon Farm Bureau

Barry Bushue was reelected to a sixth two-year term as president of Oregon Farm Bureau during the organization’s recent 77th State Convention in Hood River. Bushue runs a family nursery, berry, and flowering basket operation near Boring.

“I thank you for your trust and confidence that I will continue to do good work on behalf of Farm Bureau,” said Bushue in his acceptance speech. “I believe in and am proud of our grassroots process and am passionate about enacting public policy that protects Oregon’s family farmers and ranchers. Through Farm Bureau we secure progress for agriculture that we could never accomplish alone.”

Chairing his first International Trade Subcommittee hearing, Senator Wyden called for the creation of a comprehensive Export Expansion strategy designed to put the American workforce back to work. Wyden released a report that looks at the benefits that lowering tariffs to green products produced by American companies. The text of Wyden’s speech is below, the full report is here..

By Department of Fish and Wildlife,

SALEM, Ore. — The technical committee advising Columbia River fishery managers has released its forecast for the 2010 spring Chinook run. If the fish show up as projected, the forecast of 470,000 spring chinook would be the largest return to the Columbia since 1938.  The forecasted run is up significantly from last year’s final run of 169,300 fish. Because of challenges in forecasting the spring chinook returns in recent years, members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) had to reconsider the model they have used in past years to predict the number of returning fish.

Forest Policy Briefs
by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manger
Associated Oregon Loggers

Forest Service Threatens Contempt of Congress: Oregon’s US Forest Service says it cannot complete a land exchange required by a federal Wilderness law passed in April.  The law requires that by October 2010 the USFS complete an exchange that gives 120 acres of Mt. Hood Nat. Forest land near Government Camp to the firm, Mt. Hood Meadows LLC, in exchange for 770 acres of LLC private land, located near Cooper Spur on the mountain’s north side.  Mt. Hood NF Supervisor, Gary Larson, says it will cost $2,000,000 and take 2-3 more years to complete the exchange.