Well, our district’s first term State Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald got her Landfill bill, HB 3794, out of committee, and it’s now headed to Ways & Means.
Finger McDonald wasted no time announcing the victory in a press release subtitled, “1.1 Million Tons of Solid Waste Will Soon Need a New Home.”
She says, “House Bill 3794 creates a task force to identify possible solutions for the nearly 1 million Oregonians who live within the twenty-three counties that send waste to Coffin Butte.”
She also adds, “With the Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County nearing the end of its operational life, state leaders have taken the first step to address what will happen to the 1.1 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste that Coffin Butte accepts each year.”
In Finger McDonald’s view the closure of Coffin Butte presents an opportunity to rethink how the region handles waste. Local governments and environmental groups are exploring options such as expanding recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy initiatives to reduce reliance on landfills, but we can’t reduce our way out of needing landfills in the next ten years.
“Benton County has been talking about this and they have some recommendations coming out of a local work group in a few months. It’s important that they have a place for their recommendations to go. We’re the next step. We need to bring together the state-level decision makers to see what we can accomplish. The waste will be created regardless of if we are ready, so we better be ready with a plan for what’s next,” said Finger McDonald.
She also says she is concerned with the management of leachate, the toxic liquid created by water percolating through waste. Coffin Butte produced over 40 million gallons of leachate in 2024. The bulk of which is diluted in wastewater and released into the Willamette River.
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin Announces a Town Hall
Speaking of our statehouse delegation, Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin has rather quickly arranged a town hall for tomorrow night. We don’t know what prompted the short notice, but we suspect it may really come down to an unexpected hole in her schedule and an available spot to host.
Her invite says this will be a Town Hall and Community Listening Session and that she will provide a brief update about the Legislative session – but the bulk of the event is reserved for questions and comments from community members. Her release says children are welcome to attend and are encouraged to be seen and heard.
“I know people across the community are concerned about the future of our state and our nation,” said Gelser Blouin. “I’m eager to hear directly from my constituents about their hopes, their fears and their ideas about how best to navigate these challenging times. I hope everyone will feel welcome to show up and speak out. Every voice is welcome!”
The deets: 7 pm, Thursday, April 10 at the Russell Tripp Theatre, Linn Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany.
By Mike Suarez
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com