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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, April 7, 2011 Page 5 Conservation reserve sign-up now DEQ gives environmental okay to Weed Avenue site Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced, in January, that the next general signup for the Conservation Reserve Pro- gram (CRP) is underway and will continue through April 15. This is the second consecutive year that United States Depart- ment of Agriculture (USDA) has offered a general CRP signup. “Over the past 25 years, support for CRP has grown thanks to strong backing from farmers, ranchers, conserva- tionists, hunters, fishermen and other outdoor sports enthusi- asts,” said Vilsack. “Not only has CRP contributed to the na- tional effort to improve water and air quality, it has preserved habitat for wildlife, and prevent- ed soil erosion by protecting the most sensitive areas including those prone to flash flooding and runoff. This announcement continues the Obama Adminis- tration’s effort to conserve sen- sitive areas and improve wildlife habitat.” Through CRP, eligible landowners receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long- term, resource conserving cov- ers on eligible farmland. Land can be enrolled for a period of up to 15 years. During the gen- eral signup period, farmers and ranchers may offer eligible land at their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Land cur- rently not enrolled in CRP may be offered in this signup provid- ed all eligibility requirements are met. Additionally, current CRP participants and contracts expiring this fall may make new contract offers. Contracts awarded under this signup are scheduled to become effective October 1, 2011. The general sign-up for CRP will not affect cropped acres for this growing season. To help ensure that interest- ed farmers and ranchers are aware of the signup period, USDA has signed partnership agreements with several con- servation and wildlife organiza- tions that will play an active role in USDA’s 2011 CRP outreach efforts. They include: Pheas- ants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Association of State Foresters, Playa Lakes Joint Venture (Lesser Prairie Chick- en/Sage Grouse), and the Lon- gleaf Incorporated Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. The FSA implements CRP on behalf of Commodity Credit Corporation. FSA will evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers us- ing an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) that shows the en- vironmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. The EBI includes five environmental factors (wildlife, water, soil, air and enduring benefits) and cost. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends and after analyzing all of the offers. In addition to the general sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program will be ongo- ing. Continuous acres repre- sent the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. For more information, visit http://www.fsa. usda.gov/crp. CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the Nation’s natural resources. By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country. Through the 2008 Farm BIll, CRP is authorized for a maxi- mum enrollment of 32 million acres. USDA estimates that contracts on 3.3 million to 6.5 million acres are scheduled to expire annually between now and 2014. Slightly fewer jobless in Columbia County Columbia County’s season- ally adjusted unemployment rate was to 11.6 percent in Feb- ruary, essentially unchanged from the previous month (12.0%) but lower than the year before (12.6%). February’s un- employment rate was the low- est in two years and the first month it has been below 12.0 percent in two years. The rate was above the statewide rate (10.2%) and the national rate (8.9%). Total employment climbed by 90 to 21,752 and the number of unemployed people dipped by 5 to 3,149. Total employment this February was 518 more than one year before and there were 279 few- er people unemployed this year. Department of Environmen- tal Quality (DEQ) has deter- mined that current environmen- tal conditions at the former Ver- nonia Tank Farm & Warehouse site will allow for future use as a non-residential senior center and food pantry. The City of Vernonia and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are working to- gether to relocate facilities, like Vernonia’s senior center, that were damaged by the devastat- ing 2007 floods. After reviewing the results of environmental investigations at the site in 2009 and 2010, DEQ concluded that the property does not pose a risk to human health and the environment and that no environmental cleanup is needed. The Vernonia Tank Farm & Warehouse site is located south of Vernonia City Hall and northwest of the intersection of Umatilla Street and Weed Av- enue. From 1931 to 1960, Shell Oil Company owned the site and operated it as a small bulk oil storage facility also called a tank farm. The property was re- Jobless benefits extended by state On March 24, Governor Kitzhaber signed two pieces of legislation that will extend un- employment benefits up to 26 weeks for Oregonians who have exhausted all other op- tions. “Although we are on the path to economic recovery, there are thousands of Oregonians who are still struggling,” said Gover- nor Kitzhaber. “Extending un- employment benefits is a life line to people in need right now.” Senate Bill 637, passed with overwhelming support, allows Oregon to use $225 million in federal funds to extend unem- ployment benefits for 20 weeks. Nearly 50,000 Oregonians will be eligible to receive the addi- tional benefits by the end of the year. Senate Bill 638 will use $26 million from the State Unem- ployment Trust Fund to extend benefits for six weeks. This money will go to an estimated 17,500 Oregon workers whose benefits would otherwise expire in April. portedly vacant when the Ore- gon Department of Transporta- tion purchased it in 1974. Since that time, the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation purchased the property and is transferring it to the City of Vernonia for future use as a senior center and food pantry. Those facilities were damaged by previous flooding events in 2007. This relocation is part of a joint effort by the city and FEMA to relocate resi- dences, schools, businesses, and community services im- pacted by the devastating floods. DEQ recommends that the city develop a health and safe- ty plan before site redevelop- ment activities. If, during site redevelopment, the city en- counters contamination, it should handle the materials ac- cording to all applicable regula- tions. DEQ recommends the three off-site monitoring wells on Weed Avenue be kept in place to monitor if there is any pollu- tion in the soil around the prop- erty. Run with Extra Confidence with Chevron DELO 400 ™ PLUS MOTOR OIL The name you trust for: • Gasoline • Diesel Fuel • Oils • Solvents • Additives • Greases S EE US FOR H EATING O IL D ECK & S HINGLE O IL A NTI F REEZE CALL (503) 429-6606 WILCOX & FLEGEL 720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia