Columbia County’s plan to convert 800 acres of farmland raises environmental concerns

One Oregon county plan to turn hundreds of acres of farmland into future heavy industry site has been criticized and potential legal challenges as it fears it could pollute the air and water.

Columbia County on Wednesday agreed to rededicate 837 acres of farmland along the Columbia River, just outside of Clatskanie. The decision paves the way for potential industrial users to build systems on the northern tip of the district.

The district commissioners voted 3-0 for the zone change. As required by law, the committee members will vote a second time at their next meeting.

The reorganization of the country, according to the commissioners, opens up new opportunities for the district. Potential tenants could come from sectors such as wood products, bulk commodities and natural gas.

The location in the Port of Kalama, Washington, where NW Innovation Works once proposed a 90-acre methanol facility. A Columbia Riverkeeper conservation director said he was concerned that land being rezoned in Oregon could become a new target for the facility.

NW innovation work

The Port of Columbia County has owned the property since 2010, and it is unclear whether companies have reached out to the port with an offer.

Large corporations could be attracted by the country’s nearby deep-water port, which can handle huge cargo ships. District chairwoman Margaret Magruder said the deepwater port is the last to be left idle on the Columbia River, making it a valuable asset.

“It’s a treasure. When you have the Eiffel Tower, you build tourism, ”said Magruder. “So we have to build up industry and have the opportunity to use this deep-water port.”

Opponents, however, criticized the decision almost immediately. Environmental watchdog Columbia Riverkeeper described this as a foregoing of the state’s natural resources.

“These are significant effects. We’re talking about creating a friendly area of ​​industrial development comparable to the Port of Vancouver, Washington, ”said Dan Serres, a conservation director at Columbia Riverkeeper. “We think it’s against the Oregon Land Use Act.”

Serres said he also feared the land could be a new focus for a recently canceled proposal to build a $ 2 billion methanol plant in Kalama, Washington, less than 30 miles away.

The developer NW Innovation Works canceled the project in June. The Washington Department of Ecology denied an important permit for the project.

Northwest Innovation Works signed a lease with Port of Columbia County in 2014, records show. And in 2019, the port signed a resolution allowing the company to relocate its property in Columbia County in case the 837-acre swath is rezoned.

Port officials did not respond to questions by the time we went to press. Serres called the Rezone “put the cart in front of the horse”.

Land near the land includes arable farmers like Jim Hoffman, who owns a blueberry farm about two miles away. Hoffman told OPB he feared air emissions, chemical spills and runoff could affect his and other neighbors’ crops.

“Blueberries go to your table from our field. You don’t want anything in them. And neither do we, ”said Hoffman. “Without knowing who the tenants are, there are many industrial users who spit a lot of rubbish into the air that we don’t want on our plants.”

In support of their decision, the commissioners said that all future owners or tenants still have to overcome regulatory hurdles. They also said the land could theoretically still be used as arable land.

“There are a variety of regulations that help us protect each other and our neighbors, but still make some economic contribution so we can all enjoy decent lives here in Columbia County,” said Magruder.

This is the third attempt to use the land for heavy industry. As reported by The Capital Press, the port attempted a reallocation in 2014 and 2017, neither of which survived appeals to the state’s land use authority.

Pre-existing industrial land in the area is home to three gas-fired power plants owned by Portland General Electric and several other industrial users.

In an interview, Serres told OPB that Columbia Riverkeeper intends to appeal if the rezoning proceeds.