Lobbyists work for pesticide restrictions
senate bills reflect ecological concern
oy oflincra/vc o/eu/vcrf
Of the Emerald
The 1979 session of the
Oregon Legislature is into its sec
ond month, and environmental
groups are scrambling to keep up
with bills as they move through the
law-making maze.
The Hoedads, a Eugene-based
tree planting cooperative, is hop
ing to see passage of a bill tighten
ing existing restrictions on pes
ticide and herbicide use in
Oregon.
The bill, not yet numbered,
would prohibit spraying within 200
feet of Class 1 streams on land
zoned agricultural and on land
within 500 feet of occupied resi
dences, unless the occupant con
sents. Current regulations do not
apply to these additional areas.
The State Department of Ag
riculture could refuse to register
pesticides for use if methods that
could accomplish the same pur
pose would pose less harm to
animals or humans, and would be
equally or more cost-effective.
"It’s kind of vague," admits Gail
Slentz, Hoedad president and
legislative coordinator. “But it's a
start."
Lobbyists funded through the
Northwest Forest Workers As
sociation, which includes all such
cooperatives look after the
Hoedads’ interests with mixed re
sults.
Last session, the treeplanters
fought the widespread use of
Thiram, a pesticide which coats
tree seedlings so animals will not
eat them. They were not com
pletely successful.
“Thiram will come up again this
session,” Slentz says. “It still can
be used , although now there are
some restrictions. I’ve heard
there's not much hope for new re
Plan fails to provide
transit expansion aim
By LORRAINE NELSON
Of the Emerald
Lane Transit's Transportation
Development Program is unac
ceptable to the Transportation
Planning Committee because it
contains no suggestions to in
crease ridership.
Ollie Snowden of the TPC told
the LTD board Tuesday night that
the transportation program does
not provide a clear linkage to the
long-range ridership goals cited in
the T-2000 plan.
The plan was adopted in 1978
as the long-range transportation
program for the Eugene
Springfield area.
Snowden said the plan fails to
considerincreasing transit service
on current routes, increasing
coverage and expanding to
newly-developed areas.
LTD’s current long-range and
short-range goals rely upon ex
ternal factors, such as the availa
bility of gas and parking, to spur
ridership growth.
The TDP, a short-range plan
ning document that will guide pub
lic transportation development
during the next three years, states
that in order to lessen reliance
upon external factors, significant
improvement in service would
have to be made.
However, Dick Jones, chairer of
the Eugene Area Chamber of
Commerce's mass transit sub
committee, told the board that
LTD service was at an adequate
level and should not be expanded
until ridership had increased "sig
nificantly.”
Jones also said the board
should find a new form of funding,
should develop an emergency
plan in the event of a sudden shift
increase in LTD ridership, and
should increase fares consistent
with cost increases.
The TDP recommends fare in
creases of 10 cents in 1980 to 45
cents and five cents in 1981 to 50
cents.
Other recommendations and
objectives cited in the TDP in
clude:
• Increasing the marketing
budget by 40 percent in July and
placing emphasis on community
education and public relations,
market research and ridership in
centives programs.
• Having fare revenue make up
25 percent of total operating costs
by the end of June 1982.
• Attempting to reach a vehicle
productivity of 26.5 rides per vehi
cle hour. (LTD is now operating at
22 riders per vehicle hour.)
The LTD board will hear further
testimony on the TDP at a noon
public hearing on Feb. 26.
The board will consider the
program for final approval at its
March 20 meeting.
£S^opies
30
(200 min.)
SAME DAY
KINKO’S
1128 ALDER
344-7894
8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
strictions on pesticides this year,
but we’ll know more when it’s as
signed to a committee and has a
hearing.”
“It will be interesting to see
what happens,” she says. “But
even if it doesn’t pass, a public
forum will be worthwhile.”
The Oregon Environmental
Council, a coalition of conserva
tion groups across the state, has
hired a full-time lobbyist to coordi
nate testimony and direct efforts
to specific bills.
"We’re looking at a lot of differ
ent areas — land-use, forestry,
herbicides and water quality,”
says Merrie Buel of the council.
“They're all of equal importance."
Senate Bill 135 would extend
automobile inspection by the state
Department of Environmental
Quality to the Eugene-Springfield
area. It is currently in the Senate
Environment and Energy Commit
tee, where one hearing has taken
place.
The OEC is sponsoring a bill
with the Sierra Club to add two
more rivers to the Scenic Rivers
system, but it has not yet been
introduced. A scenic rivers desig
nation prohibits dams, mining,
billboards, legging and other pro
jects.
Sen. Ted Hallock, D-Portland,
recently introduced SB 34, also
favored by the OEC, which would
limit the storage of high-level
radioactive spent fuel in Oregon to
one month.
Portland General Electric Co.,
major owner of the Trojan nuclear
plam, is vigorously opposing this
bill because it says passage
would end the plant’s operation.
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The Sierra Club, the OEC and
the Oregon Student Public In
terest Research Group are jointly
supporting legislation to alter
compostion of the state Board of
Forestry.
SB 444, not yet introduced,
would call for seven members ap
pointed at large by the governor.
Current law requires the governor
to appoint 13 members to the
board, six of whom must be rep
resentatives of the timber indus
try.
Sen. Lenn Hannon, D-Ashland,
(Continued on Page 12A)