County commissioners back field burning ban

A proposal to ban field burning is a sizzling topic in the state Legislature, but it proved uncontroversial with the Lane County Board of Commissioners.

The board voted 5-0 Wednesday to back House Bill 3000, which would stop field burning in Oregon permanently.

Party affiliation didn't matter; all commissioners supported the ban. Neither did whether a commissioner represented a largely urban or rural constituency. They all voted yes.

Field burning is used by about 200 Oregon grass seed growers a year to purge their fields of pests and waste straw.

But the health impacts associated with the smoke - including aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeat and premature death - affect more people, several commissioners said.

"It's like them getting the gold mine and us getting the shaft," said Commissioner Bill Dwyer, who represents Springfield.

State Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, introduced the burning ban earlier this month. House leadership assigned the bill to the Health Care Committee and the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Hearings are yet to be scheduled.

Citizens opposed to burning and the grass seed industry have been lining up forces for months in preparation for battle in Salem. Citizens had asked the Lane County commissioners to show their support for a burning ban.

No grass seed farmers or their representatives were present at Wednesday's commission meeting. In recent days, they've argued that field burning is necessary for grass-seed production and that the volume of pollutants emitted by the burning is small.

Now, both Lane County and Eugene are on record as supporters of the ban, although Eugene's approval is contingent on an amendment that would allow burning to restore native plant species in conservation areas.

County Commissioner Peter Sorenson, who represents south Eugene and is a longtime foe of field burning, said the commission has an obligation to protect county residents from field smoke, which he calls a form of secondhand smoke.

Commissioner Bill Fleenor, who represents western Lane County, said he arrived at his position after considering the economics of field burning. He said grass seed farmers are large contributors to the economy. But the cost of burning outweighs the benefits to the public when the price of treatment for medical conditions is factored in, he said.

Commissioner Faye Stewart, who represents eastern Lane County, voted yes but urged the commission to look for ways - such as biomass energy production - to help grass seed farmers get rid of their straw. He said he prefers incentives "instead of regulating people out of business."