Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Natural Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harney County reviews grazing advisory options and grant updates including flood‑mitigation and Brownfield awards
Summary
The court discussed whether ENRAC should assume duties of a reinstated Grazing Advisory Committee to advise on Taylor Grazing Fund dispersals, and heard updates that a flood‑mitigation engineering grant application was submitted (local match budgeted) and that a Brownfield asbestos remediation grant (about $36,000) was accepted for the Lincoln building.
Harney County Court members reviewed two standing items on April 15: whether to reinstate a Grazing Advisory Committee to administer Taylor Grazing Fund grants, and several grant updates including flood mitigation and Brownfield remediation.
The grazing proposal would have a committee set priorities, accept applications for projects on federal public lands (for example, well and spring development or road work that benefits grazing), and recommend distributions for range improvements. ENRAC reviewed draft bylaws and recommended that, because much of the committee makeup is already represented on ENRAC, the ENRAC could absorb the advisory role with a small tweak (for example, calling an annual special ENRAC meeting and inviting a roads or weed‑control representative). An ENRAC participant recommended outreach to Harney County Stock Growers and the Harney County Farm Bureau to solicit projects and increase awareness.
On grants, staff said an application for engineering work on a flood‑mitigation project had been submitted to Business Oregon about one to two weeks earlier; staff estimated a local match of roughly $23,000 and said the match was included in the proposed county budget. Staff also said the county received a Brownfield grant to remediate asbestos‑containing insulation in the Lincoln building basement, and that the grant award amount in the meeting record was about $36,000. Staff noted the contractor (Oregon DEQ contractor) completed a final remediation report documenting the work already completed and remaining low‑risk material that will require proper handling if disturbed.
Next steps: staff will follow up with BLM and stakeholders on the grazing advisory makeup and outreach plan; if the ENRAC can adopt the role, the court will task ENRAC with setting priorities and reviewing applications on an annual schedule. Staff will continue procurement and contractor coordination for flood mitigation and Brownfield remediation work.
