Friday, May 20, 2022
CapitalPress.com 3
LUBA again sends Port Westward expansion back to county
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
CLATSKANIE, Ore. — The
Oregon Land Use Board of
Appeals has for a third time sent
back to Columbia County its deci-
sion to rezone 837 acres of agricul-
tural land for industrial develop-
ment at Port Westward.
In its ruling on May 9, LUBA
sided with environmental and land
use organizations that the county
did not adequately demonstrate
how proposed industrial uses may
be compatible with surrounding
property, including farms.
The land was purchased by the
Harold Hutchinson/Port of Columbia County
Port of Columbia County in 2010,
and is adjacent to the Port West- The Port Westward Industrial Park is at the center of a controversy involving farmers and a company
ward Industrial Park along the that wants to build a biofuel plant.
Columbia River near Clatskanie.
Port officials have long sought argued the county and port failed to ery at the industrial park. Oppo- protect the Lower Columbia Riv-
to rezone the 837 acres to expand consider impacts on farms, salmon nents have appealed the coun- er’s clean water, salmon and other
Port Westward and attract more habitat and other natural resources. ty’s approval of a rail facility that fish, and sustainable jobs,” Serres
industrial tenants. Opponents,
Previously, the port had identi- would serve the project. The rail said.
Farmers in the nearby Bea-
however, worry the site will fied five business types that could line would cross land zoned for
ver Slough Drainage District have
become a hub for fuel develop- locate within the rezoned land, agriculture.
ment, threatening the area’s air and including forestry and wood prod-
Dan Serres, conservation direc- raised concerns about how indus-
ucts, dry bulk commodities, liquid tor for Columbia Riverkeeper, trial contamination could harm
water quality.
County commissioners have bulk commodities, natural gas and said LUBA’s latest ruling is a val- their crops, which rely entirely on
idation of concerns that have been surface water for irrigation drawn
approved the port’s rezone appli- break bulk cargo.
cation three times since 2014. Each
All would be dependent on Port raised locally. If the rezone were from the Columbia River via a sys-
time, opponents have appealed the Westward’s deepwater dock that approved, it would nearly double tem of ditches.
Mike Seely, a mint farmer in
decision to LUBA, which sent it provides 4,000 feet of waterfront the size of Port Westward, putting
back to the county.
access for large cargo ships on the it on par with the Port of Vancou- the district, said the county “erred
ver in Washington.
badly” in rezoning Port Westward.
The most recent appeal was Columbia River.
“Again and again, community
“The land they seek to industri-
filed by Columbia Riverkeeper
NEXT Energy is proposing a
and 1000 Friends of Oregon. They $2 billion renewable diesel refin- members have come together to alize has been farmed for genera-
Agriculture groups
welcome USDA
trade nominee
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Agricultural groups are
wholeheartedly supporting
the nomination of Alexis
Taylor as USDA under-
secretary of trade and for-
eign agricultural affairs, a
position that has remained
vacant for more than a
year.
The
groups
have
pushed the administration
to fill the position, saying
it is vital for U.S. agricul-
ture, and they were quick
to weigh in on Taylor’s
experience in agriculture
and trade.
Taylor has been director
of the Oregon Department
of Agriculture since 2016
and formerly oversaw
USDA’s Foreign Agricul-
tural Service and worked
for several members of
Congress.
Dan Halstrom, U.S.
Meat Export Federation
president and CEO, said
Taylor is an outstanding
nominee.
“USMEF and our mem-
ber companies had many
opportunities to work with
Ms. Taylor in her previ-
ous roles at USDA and we
are confident she will be a
strong and effective advo-
cate for U.S. exporters and
all of U.S. agriculture,” he
said.
The U.S. Dairy Export
Council and the National
Milk Producers Feder-
ation praised Taylor’s
nomination.
“With her wealth of
leadership experience at
both USDA and at the state
level, Ms. Taylor is per-
fectly positioned to serve
American farmers, the
broader agricultural indus-
try and American workers
throughout the agricultural
supply chain in this indis-
pensable role,” said Krysta
Harden, USDEC president
and CEO.
Jim Mulhern, president
and CEO of NMPF, said
Taylor is well qualified for
the position.
“She has done an excel-
lent job in her prior gov-
ernment service roles and
we know (she) will be a
strong advocate for U.S.
dairy and agriculture … ,”
he said.
Julie Anna Potts, pres-
ident and CEO of North
American Meat Insti-
tute, said Taylor’s experi-
ence makes her uniquely
qualified.
“She is the right person
at the right time to lead the
nation’s focus on strength-
ening exports, expanding
access to new markets and
navigating an increasingly
unpredictable global econ-
omy,” she said.
Ted McKinney, CEO
of the National Associa-
tion of State Departments
of Agriculture, said Tay-
lor has a passion for seek-
ing market opportunity for
U.S. food producers.
“Her
previous
experi-
ence at
USDA,
her char-
acter and
her deep
Alexis
under-
Taylor
stand-
ing
of
how regulations across
the globe matter for indi-
viduals in our communi-
ties will benefit all Amer-
icans,” he said.
Chandler Goule, CEO
of the National Associa-
tion of Wheat Growers,
said the industry appreci-
ates Taylor’s experience
and understanding of the
agriculture community and
trade issues.
“We are eager to see
this key leadership role
be filled quickly … so she
may begin important work
at the USDA to advocate
for U.S. wheat farmers and
be an advocate for Ameri-
can agriculture around the
world,” he said.
Stephen Censky, CEO
of the American Soybean
Association, said, “Alexis
has a depth of knowledge
about agricultural trade
and public policy, and her
background, experience
and network will serve her
well in this post.”
Brooke S. Appleton,
vice president of pub-
lic policy for the National
Corn Growers Associa-
tion, said she can’t think of
a better person for the job.
“She is someone with
a deep understanding of
agriculture, particularly as
it relates to foreign mar-
kets, and she is widely
respected by policymakers
on both sides of the aisle,”
she said.
Constance
Cullman,
American Feed Industry
Association president and
CEO, said Taylor’s exten-
sive experience makes her
an ideal candidate.
tions, providing unique and deep
soils that sustain the production
of food and other crops that go
far beyond this community, from
U-pick blueberries to high-quality
mint and cattle,” Seely said.
According to LUBA, the coun-
ty’s insufficient analysis of poten-
tial impacts under the rezone
places a disproportionate bur-
den on other agencies that would
issue conditions for specific proj-
ects “to ensure, if not establish,
compatibility.”
In a statement, Sean Clark, the
port’s executive director, said he
was disappointed by LUBA’s deci-
sion but remains hopeful. He did
not specify whether the port will
attempt to rezone the property for
a fourth time.
“The port believes that we effec-
tively demonstrated that responsi-
ble industrial and agricultural uses
can coexist together as good neigh-
bors, as they have for decades at
Port Westward,” Clark said. “The
port commission will consider
how to best move forward for eco-
nomic development in Columbia
County.”
Port Westward is already home
to three natural gas power plants
operated by Portland General Elec-
tric, and a loading facility man-
aged by the Massachusetts-based
Global Partners Inc. to ship etha-
nol and biodiesel across the Pacific
Ocean.
High inflation expected to continue
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Consumer prices in April
were 8.3% higher than a
year ago, a dramatic increase
that was sparked during
the COVID pandemic as
Congress and the Federal
Reserve Bank injected tril-
lions of dollars into a bat-
tered economy.
The March inflation rate,
8.5%, was the highest since
1981-82.
There’s no quick fix to
high prices, and inflation is
almost certain to stay above
5% or 6% for the next cou-
ple of years, economists
with the American Farm
Bureau Federation said in a
new “Market Intel” report.
International turmoil has
driven up the price of certain
items, including fertilizer
and fuel, which is having a
large impact on farmers in
particular.
However, that isn’t driv-
ing overall price inflation
in the U.S., the economists
said.
“Quite simply, too much
money was created by the
Federal Reserve Bank,
mostly in 2020, and it is
turning, inevitably, into
inflation. Thankfully, the
Fed has begun taking steps
to address this … but it will
likely take a few years to
approach their long-term
target of 2% per year,” the
economists said.
Market disruptions in
fuel and food have spurred
inflation in recent months,
but the much larger reasons
for current inflation are the
unprecedented actions of the
Fed since March 2020 and
the resulting growth in the
money supply.
In March 2020, the Fed
lowered interest rates to just
above 0%, which spurred
borrowing, and it bought
nearly $6 trillion in assets
with money it created. Those
actions injected $6.4 trillion
into the economy between
March 2020 and the end of
2021, they said.
“This was a massive and
unprecedented 42% increase
in only 22 months, far more
than could be absorbed by
economic growth, even with
the strong recovery we have
had,” they said.
The Fed’s monetary stim-
ulus was done on top of enor-
mous new federal spending
commitments for pandemic
relief and infrastructure, as
well as pure stimulus spend-
ing, and there was a lot of
disposable income, they
said.
“This ensured that per-
sonal incomes and overall
demand didn’t flag; so there
was little reason for the Fed
to pursue demand stimulus
through such a loose money
policy,” they said.
Another indication of
overstimulation of the econ-
omy is the record number of
job openings, a rough indi-
cation of excess demand that
can’t be met by the available
workforce, they said.
La Nina looks like best bet for next winter
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Odds increasingly favor
La Nina prevailing for a third
straight winter, the National
Weather Service says.
The weather service’s
Climate Prediction Cen-
ter pegged the chances for
another La Nina winter
at 61%, up from 54% last
month.
La Nina winters in the
northern tier of the U.S. are
generally cooler and wetter
than normal. Three La Nina
winters in a row have occurred
only twice since 1950.
Although ample summer
water supplies usually follow
a La Nina, it’s not a sure bet,
Washington State Climatolo-
gist Nick Bond said Friday.
The last third-straight
La Nina winter, 2000-2001,
yielded a poor water supply
for summer irrigation and led
to a drought.
“There’s no guarantee
there’s going to be a huge
snowpack,” Bond said.
Below-normal
sea-sur-
face temperatures in the
Pacific Ocean trigger a La
Nina. While the northern U.S.
tends to be cold and wet, the
southern tier leans toward
being hot and dry. Another La
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Nina winter could worsen the
drought in the Southwest.
La Nina and its opposite,
El Nino, are climatologists’
main guides for forecasting
weather months in advance.
The climate center puts the
odds of an El Nino forming
next winter at only 5%. The
odds that sea-surface tem-
peratures will be normal, or
neutral, are 34%.
A La Nina has formed the
past two winters and is still in
place. The climate center said
ocean temperatures this past
week were “quite negative”
for this time of year.
Normally, La Nina has its
most influence on Northwest
weather in the late winter.
This year, it’s effects may be
lasting into the spring. “I’m
prepared to believe that,”
Bond said.
Washington just had its
third coldest April in 128
years of record-keeping. The
snowpack rallied during the
month from below average to
finish above average.
Natural Resources Con-
servation Service water sup-
ply specialist Scott Pattee said
May 13 the snowpack has
peaked, but is melting slowly
because of low temperatures.
La Nina likely will stay
through the summer, accord-
ing to the climate center. Bond
said he then expects its influ-
ence to wane and that the state
will follow a trend toward
warmer and drier summers.
A La Nina prevailed for
38 months from April 1973 to
May 1976, and for 34 months
from June 1998 to March 2001.
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