Asthmatics, Law Center Battle for Clean Oregon

Feel free to take a deep breath, all of you asthmatics, small children, joggers, fast walkers, and, well, anyone else who enjoys clean air. For now, at least.

Feel free to take a deep breath, all of you asthmatics, small children, joggers, fast walkers, and, well, anyone else who enjoys clean air. For now, at least.

You also might want to thank the Olympic hopefuls who will be competing in the Olympic Trials from June 27 to July 6 at University of Oregon, in Eugene.

(To read more about the Trials and what protesters are planning to highlight China's oppression of Tibetans and promotion of genocide in Darfur see this week's WW story "Faster, Higher, Louder." )

The Oregon Department of Agriculture will not be issuing burn permits for large grass field burns during the trials in order to protect the lungs of the athletes who will be competing in the trials. That freedom from the air pollution associated with field burning is a privilege that regular Oregonians do not yet enjoy, despite the lobbying efforts of citizens, the Western Environment Law Center, and the Oregon Toxic Alliance.

As a result of the decision, the Western Environment Law Center (which has been working to end field burning) sent a letter on June 14 to Gov. Ted Kulongoski asking him to take the necessary steps to extend the halt of field burning and completely outlaw the practice.

Field burning, which is now illegal in all of the Northwestern states except Oregon, releases plumes of fine particle matter (similar to what comes out of a diesel engine) that can be extremely harmful to athletes and citizens, have caused runners to hack up blood, and have been correlated to the death of Idaho mother of two Sharon Buck Vogel.

Charlie Tebbutt, a staff attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center, says that although field burning has been dramatically reduced in Oregon, 10 to 20 percent of grass seed farmers in the Willamette Valley still use it.

Between 2005 and 2007, there have still been 2,996 complaints filed by citizens who were affected by the practice, according to the "Summary of the 2007 Field Burning Season" report released by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Read the full report here.

WELC's Tebbutt helped draft the letter to the governor and has been working on the issue for over a year. “The information is all there to do the right thing,” he says.

Tebbutt recognizes the hypocrisy of halting field burning only for the Olympic Trials. “If they stop field burning to avoid embarrassment, in Eugene, to protect elite athletes, why won’t they do so for their citizens?” he says.

Tebutt also says he “hopes for an immediate solution so no one else has to suffer.”

Gov. Kulongoski has yet to respond to the Law Center’s letter, but his office released this statement:

The Governor supports ending the practice of field burning. He will introduce legislation on behalf of the Oregon Dept of Ag and DEQ to reduce the practice. What's outstanding is a workgroup of stakeholders exploring alternatives to field burning and developing a plan to transition away from the practice entirely.