Didemnum vexillum can grow into colonies resembling soft coral. Photo by Vallorie Hodges, Oregon Coast Aquarium.
One of the state’s most feared invasive species has arrived.
The most immediate threat is to our coastal shellfish. The species, known as Didemnum vexillum, can form huge colonies that cover shellfish beds and literally smother them to death.
ODFW is looking for help as it battles an army of invasive goldfish at a lake in Eastern Oregon.
Three more pieces of the environmental agenda received final passage today and are on their way to Governor Kulongoski. Not a bad day considering the four victories racked up over the weekend. Meanwhile, enviros took a big loss on a renewable energy bill.
So as we used to say in televsion, let’s go right to the highlights.
Field Burning Ban
Those late summer smoky skies over the Willamette Valley should pretty much disapear over the next few years thanks to Senate Bill 528. The bill, passed today by the House, phases out most field burning by 2013. Now it goes to Governor K. The bill exempts about 15,000 acres of hilly terrain.
According to the Department of Environmental Quality, current law allows for about 65,000 acres of field burning, but over the past few years the actual number of acres burned is closer to 50,000. But in the mid 1980s, as many as 250,000 acres were burned each year.
Invasive Species
The final passage of House Bill 2020 means state officials will be able to move faster against outbreaks of invasive species. The bill sets aside $350,000 that can be tapped for such things as rapid response to outbreaks, inspections and eradication of invaders. Today’s approval by the Senate puts this bill into the hands of the Governor.
Coal Burning Power Plants
Senate Bill 101 makes it harder for electric utilities to get power from coal burning power plants. It says the coal burning plants have to meet certain standards for greenhouse gas emissions before utilities can enter into long term contracts for their power. In addition, it says Oregon utilities can’t sign long term contracts with any kind of power plant, unless the plant’s emissions are as clean as ones that run on natural gas. This bill goes to the Governor after getting final passage by the House.
Renewable Energy
This is one area where the environmental agenda has taken some hits, including today’s final passage of House Bill 2940. The bill means utilities won’t have to work so hard to meet Oregon’s Renewable Energy Standard. By law, utilities have to get 25% of their power from renewable sources by the year 2025.
Originally, the law said anything built before 1995 didn’t count towards meeting that standard. But HB 2940 creates an exception for nine older biomass plants that were built before the 1995 deadline. By letting utilities include them as renewable sources, enviros say it makes it too easy to meet the Renewable Energy Standards.
The renewable standard has been credited with helping create the boom in renewable energy projects around the state, especially wind and solar. So if this bill becomes law, the fear is that it will slow the growth of renewable energy and the slow the growth of green jobs in the state.
The Oregon League of Conservation Voters is hoping Governor Kulongoski will veto the bill. One of his spokesman told the Oregonian last week it would be hard for him to support it.
Thanks to Evan Manvel of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters for today’s updates.
With adjournment just a few days away, the Oregon Senate made a rare weekend appearance to take care of unfinished business. This includes some of the bills that are important to the state’s environmental community.
Invasive Species
The Senate approved a bill that creates a system of mobile checkpoints, where vehicles hauling boats and trailers will be stopped and inspected for invasive species. If necessary, the boats and trailers will be disinfected before resuming travel. This bill gives wildlife officials an important tool to keep nasty invaders such as quagga and zebra mussels out of Oregon. House Bill 2220 also increases penalties for people who knowingly transport invasive species.
Status: Goes to Governor Kulongoski for his signature.
Recycling Paint
Leftover paint is the biggest hazardous waste problem for Oregon. But with House Bill 3037 passing the Senate, recycling paint will be easier than ever. It allows the paint industry to create a paint recycling and disposal program. The goal to is establish more places where old paint can be dropped off by consumers and contractors. While many environmental bills are controversial, this one was supported by the paint industry.
Status: Goes to Governor Kulongoski for his signature.
Promoting Energy Efficiency
Oregonians will be getting some help to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient. House Bill 2626 allows us to finance energy efficient improvement with low interest loans. The money has to be repaid through an extra charge in our monthly utility bills. But if we’re using less energy to heat, cool and light our buildings, then the extra charge may not hurt so much. The Senate approved this bill Saturday.
Status: Goes to Governor Kulongoski for his signature.
Educating Our Kids
The last of the four bills approved this weekend is House Bill 2544. It creates the Oregon Environmental Literacy Task Force. The group’s goal will be to create a plan to educate our school kids about the environment, get them outside more often to experience it, and includes professional development for teachers on environmental issues. It’s better known as the “No Child Left Outside” law.
Status: Goes to Governor Kulongoski for his signature.
A bill to help keep invasive species out of Oregon has been approved the House.
House Bill 2220B allows state officials to set up check points where they can inspect boats and trailers for invasive species, and if necessary, decontaminate them. Anyone who’s caught knowingly transporting invasive species can be fined up to $6,250.
Quagga mussels on a boat propeller in Lake Mead. Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife.
The bill now goes before the Senate.
Wildlife officials have been watching nervously as quagga mussels move closer and closer to Oregon. Twice in the past year, boats carrying quagga mussels have been stopped in Washington. But as far as anyone knows, they have not established a foothold in the Northwest.
Quagga mussels are prolific breeders that can take over lakes and streams, pushing out native wildlife and destroying the natural food chain. They also clog water intake pipes. In Northwest rivers, a mussel invasion could increase the costs of electricity by reducing the flow of water into hydropower dams. A 2005 study by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission says the start up costs of installing mussel control systems on the dams of the Columbia River would be $23 million.
UPDATE: A follow up hearing has been scheduled for HB 2220. (See last paragraph in this story.) The House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Committee holds a work session on April 14 at 8am.
A key bill to help stop the spread of invasive species is making progress in the Oregon Senate. SB 571 was approved by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and will soon be voted on by the full Senate.
The bill increases penalties for anyone caught introducing invasive species into the state. In some cases, they can be charged with a Class C Felony. Perhaps more importantly, ODFW can sue the person for the costs of removing the invader.
In September of 2206, ODFW treated Diamond Lake with rotenone to kill an estimated 90 million Tui Chub.
That can be a substantial amount of money. The state spent almost $6 million to remove the Tui Chub from Diamond Lake in 2006. The chub are native to the Klamath Basin. But in Diamond Lake they’re invaders leading to the collapse of rainbow trout fishery. Water quality got so bad that the normally clean lake suffered from toxic algae blooms. The state carried out a similar program in 1954.
Wildlife officials believe the chub were introduced into Diamond Lake by fishermen who were using them as bait.
For more information see this post on the Oregon League of Conservation Voters blog.
By the way, we’re also following HB 2220. That bill creates a system of border checkpoints where boats and trailers coming into Oregon have to stop and be inspected for invasive species. The bill has received one hearing and is still awaiting action in a committee of the Oregon House.
