A dust-up crops up over biofuel study

A dust-up crops up over biofuel study
OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
... State University to launch a field research project measuring the benefits -- and hazards -- of growing canola and other oilseed crops used to produce biodiesel ...

SALEM -- Sure, everybody likes the idea of producing an alternative fuel from renewable resources, especially when those resources are Oregon crops. But as the Legislature's Emergency Board learned Friday, not everybody wants a field near them.

The board, which makes state spending decisions when the full Legislature is not in session, spent more than 45 minutes debating a request from the Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University to launch a field research project measuring the benefits -- and hazards -- of growing canola and other oilseed crops used to produce biodiesel.

The $235,000 request was not the largest the board considered Friday. Lawmakers also weighed requests to pay for public defenders, early childhood education, approve a Department of Education federal grant and permission to continue expansion of OSU's Reser Stadium.

The canola research project was among the most hotly debated requests, however.

University researchers along with the state Agriculture Department want to begin planting canola seeds and other test crops on small, controlled parcels in the Willamette Valley. While canola may be a good crop for the production of biodiesel, many farmers worry about its potential to contaminate valuable vegetable seed crops and host the cabbage maggot, among other pests.

"This is dangerous," said Sen. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby. "There's no reason on God's green earth to introduce a known weed and carrier of pests."

But Rep. Susan Morgan, R-Myrtle Creek, countered that people are just as passionate on the other side about biodiesel and biofuels.

"This is information that would very much enrich the policy discussions the Legislature will have around biofuels," she said.

In the end, the board voted 10-7 to finance the study. Other votes Friday:

Education: Lawmakers agreed to spend an additional $3 million for early intervention and early childhood special education programs.

But the Department of Education will have to return to the board in November to get retroactive approval for a $5 million, five-year federal grant it applied for this summer.

Technically, the delay doesn't affect when or whether the department gets the money. But Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Sublimity, asked the board to delay its approval in order to "send a message" about another issue.

He's angry that the department threatened to pull state funding from the Oregon Connections Academy, a virtual charter school based in Scio, two days before classes started. Kropf, who is board chairman at the school, said the department's action was "unnecessary, unwarranted and arrogant."
The academy and the department are now working to resolve the issue. The Emergency Board didn't support Kropf's original motion but did ask the department to come back in November.

Public defenders: The board also agreed to spend an additional $3.9 million to provide public defense services to indigent clients. The Public Defense Services Commission said it has seen a disproportionate increase in appeals, expensive death penalty cases and a nearly doubling of its monthly expenses to provide interpreters to non-English speaking clients.

Football: The board also approved OSU's request to begin the second phase of its expansion of Reser Stadium. But not without some friendly University of Oregon/OSU bantering.

"Do you really think this is needed?" asked Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner. "You're still going to lose to the Ducks."

Sen. Frank Morse, a Republican from Albany replied: "There are some teams that don't rely on divine intervention to win."

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