Democrats in the Oregon Senate voted Thursday to significantly reduce and phase out field burning in the Willamette Valley, in a vote that seemed to pit urban senators against their rural counterparts.

Senate Bill 528 would eliminate most field burning of grass seed and cereal grain crops in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Lane counties. Open field burning in those areas would be eliminated in 2010, with exceptions for burning on 15,000 acres of steep terrain (mostly near Silverton, Stayton and Sublimity) and for identified grass seed species.

The bill passed largely on party lines in a close 16-14 vote, with Sens. Martha Schrader (D-Canby) and Joanne Verger (D-Coos Bay) joining the entire Republican caucus in voting against it.

In the northern Willamette Valley, the bill would likely have little impact, said John Byers, program manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture's smoke management program -- most local growers have stopped burning fields in recent years. Still, the bill raised both environmental and business issues for the areas involved, and prompted heated debate at the capitol.

"Field burning is antiquated and poses significant health risks," said Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), one of the chief sponsors of the bill. "Too many people have suffered for too long by the smoke that gets trapped in the valley. This causes serious public safety risks and health problems for many Oregonians."

In 1988, 11 people were killed and 37 injured in a crash caused by smoke from an out of control field burn that obstructed the vision of drivers on Interstate 5 outside Albany, the release said. People with cardiovascular diseases, the elderly and children may also be affected by field burning.

But opponents labeled the bill "anti-business" and said it would hurt the agriculture industry, particularly targeting grass seed farmers. While a majority of the senators supporting the bill live in Portland and other large urban cities, many of those opposing it hail from the rural areas most affected by the bill.

Oregon grass seed farmers said eliminating the option of field burning will decrease the quality of their product, and thus their ability to compete in the market. But bill supporters stressed they intended it to be a health issue, rather than a business one.

Field burning has been used by farmers for more than 50 years to remove leftover straw and stubble on fields. In the grass seed industry, it is also used to control weeds, insects and plant diseases and to maintain grass seed purity. Some alternatives to field burning, such as using the debris for cellulosic ethanol, have surfaced in recent years. Some farmers have also switched to cutting and baling the stubble for straw, instead of burning the entire field, but this practice is more time consuming.

Most farmers in the northern Willamette Valley have switched to alternative practices, such as rotational cropping or chemical treatments, Byers said.

"We never burn in that area," he said. "(Or) very, very little."

He said the closest area where field burning persists is in the Silverton hills. Still, SB 528 would limit farmers' options, and Byers said he thought local growers might have differing opinions on whether or not the bill would impact them. "Some would tell you yes; some would tell you no," he said.

In 1991, the Oregon Legislature passed legislation that has limited the number of acres burned each year to 65,000. Previously, hundreds of thousands had been burned at times.

The bill will move to the House for consideration.

Another bill, introduced last week, would refer to voters a ban on open field burning across the entire Willamette Valley. Senate Bill 985 would also allow the Environmental Quality Commission to ban burning in other areas of the state.

For more information on field burning in Oregon, visit www.oregon.gov/ODA/NRD/smokefrontpage.shtml.