EQCMinutes19760514

DETP/19/48650

''Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 12:02:13 PM (GMT+07:00) Goldstein, Meyer:'' eqc meeting eqc minutes DEQ 114, f. & ef. 6-4-76 Eqc environmental quality commission minutes 5/14/76 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE OREGON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION May 14, 1976 On Friday, May 14, 1976, the Commission called to order a special meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the Department's Salem-Northcoast Regional Office at 796 Winter Street, N.E., in Salem. Commissioners present included Mr. Joe B. Richards, Chairman; Dr. Morris Crothers, Vice Chairman; Dr. Grace Phinney; and Mr. Ronald Somers. Commissioner Jacklyn Hallock was unable to attend the meeting. Present to represent the Department were its Director, Mr. Loren (Bud) Kramer, and several additional staff members. Mr. Robert Haskins, among the agency's counsel from the Department of Justice, was also present. RULE ADOPTION: AGRICULTURAL OPEN BURNING (FIELD BURNING) IN THE MID-WILLAMETTE VALLEY The Director orally amended the staff report to the Commission. He deleted the last paragraph on the third page of the report. It was the Director's apprehension that the paragraph might be interpreted as encouragement for the seed growers to seek "hardship" authorization from the Governor's Office to burn acreage beyond the permissible 195 thousand in an experimental big burn (to see if there would be sufficient heat accumulation to cause an efficient ventilation of smoke through powerful convection currents which would disperse the smoke to a high altitude). It was the apprehension of Commissioner Crothers that the convection ventilation experiment might unreasonably call upon the growers to burn acreage from their limited allocation that they might not otherwise wish to burn. Commissioner Somers noted the testimony had indicated that, contrary to expectations set forth in the hearing regarding the 1975 acreage allocations, field burning machines had not emerged as a viable alternative to open burning. He expressed concern that there should be incentive for the growers to undertake the formidable organizational effort requisite to a "big burn11 experiment. With regard to the proposed 100 acres to be granted initially to each grower having registered 100 or more acres, Commissioner Somers sought some assurance that it would not be possible for a single concern to become a collection of spouse, children, grandchildren, and other kin who would each be entitled to burn 100 acres by virtue of having become 11 growers. 11