Yesterday, over 30 advocates and volunteers with the Stand Up to Factory Farms coalition joined together for a rally at the Statehouse to urge Oregon’s legislature to support SB80, a vital public health bill that places a moratorium on permitting new and expanding large factory farms in Oregon’s designated Groundwater Management Areas (GWMAs). The bill aims to prevent new sources of water pollution from exacerbating the decades-long public health crisis in these already overburdened communities. 

Recently released maps reveal that high concentrations of the state’s dirty factory farms are located in these already polluted GWMAs. 

Advocates and people from across the state called on the Senate Natural Resources Committee to schedule a hearing and work session for this vital public health bill. They also spoke with other legislators asking them to support the bill.

This event comes a day after 43 climate, environmental justice and family-farmer groups, including members of the Stand Up to Factory Farms Coalition (SUFF) and their allies, sent a letter urging Oregon legislators to support SB80, which is currently waiting to be heard in the Senate Natural Resources & Wildfire committee. 

Groups also recently released a video showing how Tillamook sources dairy from the state’s largest mega-dairy and lobbies against legislation that would help protect Oregonians from the harms of factory farms.

Finally, 26 groups and leaders across Oregon also sent a letter earlier this week to Governor Kotek demanding she rescind last month’s controversial decision to allow the infamous Port of Morrow to violate its permit during the high-risk winter season. The letter also called on the Governor to finally declare a public health and environmental emergency in the highly polluted Lower Umatilla Basin, as community members and environmental advocates have requested for more than two years.

Photos available