Oregon daily emerald., July 11, 1978, Image 1

Vol. 80, No. 6
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday, July 11, 1978
Photo By Greg Gawtowski
Of late, the Eugene-area sun has been accompanied by wind providing good weather for sailing.
Boats like this one on Dorena Lake, southeast of town, make use of the invisible force.
S.A.F.E. seeks
herbicide halt
By CATHERINE SIEGNER
Of the Emerald
The Lane County Commissioners have approved in concept a
petition that would suspend aerial spraying of herbicides containing
TCDD (dioxin) until the Environmental Protection Agency processes
and registers them for aerial use.
Bearing 1,250 signatures, the petition was presented to the
Commissioners by a newly-formed political action group: The Safety
and Full Employment Committee (S A F E.)
The committee, drawn from Citizens Against Toxic Sprays
(C. A.T.S.), the Hoedads and the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to
Pesticides (NCAP), began as an effort to "coordinate like-minded
groups toward political action on specific issues," according to S A F E,
member Edd Wemple of Cottage Grove.
"The idea to form a committee had been floating around ." Wemple
says. Herbicide use is our first issue because we re concerned about
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report linking herbicides
with cancer, the cost-effectiveness of manual brush control and we
think the people should have a vote on this."
Concerns about the effects of herbicide use have led the State
Board of Forestry to schedule hearings on two proposed plans for
regulating aerial spraying in Oregon. One plan, submitted by the
Oregon Environmental Council (OEC). would establish 200-foot buffer
strips around major streams, and 100-foot strips around smaller
streams and would require posted notice on all lands scheduled for
spraying.
The second plan, proposed by Gov. Straub, outlines similar
safeguards but is somewhat more lenient, requiring smaller buffer
strips, and less notice to landowners and other residents within the
spray areas.
Evidence has grown suggesting that herbicides, when aerially
applied, inevitably get into streams, according to S.A.F.E.. and may
cause cancer and birth defects.
The evidence points to a risk — an admitted risk," Wemple says.
“It's been said a lot lately that you don't need herbicides to get the job
done. And check the cost-effectiveness. Manual brush control is less
expensive and more labor-intensive.
“Dioxin is the sacrificial lamb.” says Wemple. “We are going to
make the fight because we believe herbicides are guilty until proven
innocent. I’ve heard industry people say in their own conferences that
chemicals are innocent until proven guilty — just as if they (the chemi
cals) were corporations."
A recent study by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of
herbicide-sprayed lands in Coos County showed that even with careful
monitoring and communication with the pilot, traces of the chemical
were found in streams.
Measurable traces of 2,4.5-T, another herbicide containing dioxin,
were also found in a tributary of Fall Creek in the Willamette National
Forest recently after aerial spraying.
(Continued on Page 3)
Citizens to reconsider death, taxes
By KEVIN HARDEN
Of the Emerald
Oregon voters will be asked to
decide several controversial is
sues during the November gen
eral election. Including a
California-style property tax limita
tion proposal and a revival of the
state's death penalty.
Seven citizen initiative propos
als were filed with the Secretary of
State's office Friday and most of
those petitions had enough signa
tures to place their measures on
the Nov. 7 ballot.
Although the seven petitions
met the 5 p m. deadline for
Friday's filing, the secretary of
state has until July 22 to verify the
signature's on each petition and
guarantee the measures a place
on the ballot
The controversial property tax
limitation, a carbon copy of
California's Proposition 13 which
was overwhelmingly approved by
California voters last month, was
filed well before the petition dead
line.
The petitions that were deli
vered Friday were brought to the
filing office on a handcart in sev
eral boxes. Those petitions alone
carried an additional 50.000 valid
signatu res. to bring the total signa
tures filed on that petition to nearly
200.000
A week before the deadline, tax
revolutionaries and their suppor
ters rallied on the Capitol steps in
Salem to voice their dissatisfac
tion with the state's tax system
and file a truckload of petitions
bearing nearly 150.000 signa
tures.
Other petitions that will proba
bly be on the general election bal
lot include a measure that would
reinstate the death penalty for
murder in Oregon, a measure that
would end state-funded abortions
for poor women and a measure
that would make it easier to form a
public utility district.
Several other measures that
may face the voters include a
proposal to nullify land-use plann
ing goals set by the state's Land
Conservation and Development
Commission, a proposal to pro
hibit private electric utilities from
charging customers for electricity
in advance, and a proposal to
license and certify denturists to
make and sell false teeth directly
to the public instead of selling
them through dentists.