Latest news with #LandUse
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Albuquerque RENT Ordinance fails in committee after landlord pushback
Jun. 11—An Albuquerque City Council committee on Wednesday voted down a proposed set of regulations intended to increase the power of renters and comprehensively regulate landlords after the latter expressed concern that the bill was an overreach and would negatively affect the rental market. The bill died after 3-2 vote in the Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Committee. But Shanna Schultz, policy and government affairs administrator for the city, who wrote the bill on behalf of Mayor Tim Keller, left open the possibility of another similar bill in the future. "I understand the intent of this bill. But I also think there are a lot of unintended consequences," said Councilor Renée Grout. In its original form, the Renter's Empowerment and Neighborhood Transparency (RENT) Ordinance would've affected almost every element of the renting experience, from signing a lease to evictions and deposits. The RENT Ordinance sought to give renters more power over their landlords, according to Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn, who sponsored the bill on behalf of the mayor's office. The measure, styled as a "Renters Bill of Rights," comes as the council has required landlords to provide cooling to tenants and created a code enforcement position dedicated to tenant-landlord issues. It also comes as the city faces an escalating housing crisis. Some of the bill's most notable changes aimed to enhance transparency. The RENT Ordinance would've required landlords to disclose all costs associated with a rental agreement in clear, straightforward language in their published listings. This included any information from a background check that might disqualify an applicant, as well as minimum credit score and income requirements. Another notable part of the RENT Ordinance would have eliminated pet rent. Landlords could accept a pet deposit of up to $150. The RENT Ordinance drew support from some renters and housing advocates, including OLÉ New Mexico. They said the ordinance would hold bad landlords accountable and improve the living conditions of renters, who make up about 44% of Albuquerque residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The bill also drew concern from landlords, some realtors, and property management companies. They argued the ordinance infringed on property rights, increased their liability since tenants could deduct repair costs from rent payments in some instances, and would lead to higher rents. Ultimately, Fiebelkorn was joined by Councilor Nichole Rogers in trying to keep the bill alive. Councilors Dan Champine and Brook Bassan joined Grout in voting to end the bill.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Another 40,000ha of NZ sheep and beef farms sold for forestry
Almost 40,000ha of sheep and beef farms in New Zealand has been sold for conversion to forestry in the past eight months, according to a new report. The independent research released by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) shows that sales of beef and sheep farms, particularly for carbon farming, are continuing 'at an alarming rate'. Of particular concern, the farm organisation said is a significant shift towards productive land being sold. The research by Orme and Associates shows a further 38,921ha has been confirmed as sold since the last report in September 2024. Revised confirmed sales in 2023 now total 29,518ha and in 2024 now 30,483ha – that figure is expected to rise as further sales are confirmed. The report shows that sales through Overseas Investment Office approvals and to carbon-only forestry entities continue to dominate. Forestry The total amount of whole sheep and beef farms sold since January 1, 2017 is now more than 300,000ha. B+LNZ's conservative estimate is that more than two million stock units have been lost to afforestation over the past 8 years. New Zealand's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay yesterday (Tuesday, June 10) introduced long-awaited legislation that will put a stop to large-scale farm-to-forestry conversions 'For too long, productive sheep and beef farms have been replaced by pine trees in the race for carbon credits. That ends under this government,' McClay said. 'The Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme – Forestry Conversions) Amendment Bill will restrict wholesale conversions of farmland to exotic forestry by stopping LUC (Land Use Classification) 1-5 land from entering the ETS and capping new ETS registrations on LUC 6 land. 'It will also protect farmers' ability to diversify – allowing up to 25%of a farm to go into trees, while stopping the kind of blanket ETS planting that's been gutting rural communities in places like the East Coast, Wairarapa, the King Country, and Southland,' the minister added. The bill proposes time-limited transitional exemptions in rare cases for people who were in the process of afforestation prior to these changes originally being announced on December 4, 2024. The legislation is now before parliament and is to come into force October 2025. Farms Kate Acland, B+LNZ chair, said that the updated whole farm sales figures reinforce the need for action. 'While we appreciate the government's announcement this week about legislation being introduced to restrict wholesale conversions based on land use classes, the numbers show whole-farm sales for conversion to forestry for carbon credits are continuing at pace. 'Anecdotally we're still hearing of a significant number of farms being sold this year, despite the government announcing the limits last year. 'We're concerned that some sales are continuing on the basis of intent to purchase land before the limits were announced. We urgently need the government to tighten the criteria around proof of intent to purchase,' she said. Acland also highlighted the trend of land traditionally well-suited for pastoral farming being increasingly purchased for conversion. 'B+LNZ is not anti-forestry. In particular, we strongly support the integration of trees within farms, which we believe is a better approach. 'Farmers know their land and can plant the right trees in the right places, without affecting overall levels of production. 'Instead, we're seeing blanket pines replacing sustainable food production. 'We're also hearing significant concerns from neighbouring farmers about the impacts of a lack of pest and fire risk management around recently converted areas of land,' Acland said.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Advocates, scientists ask lawmakers for $1 million to stop toxic algal blooms on Willamette River
A large green algal bloom covers the Ross Island Lagoon on the Willamette River in August 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Human Access Project) Just about every summer in recent years, a stretch of the Willamette River south of downtown Portland at Ross Island turns green from a thick layer of toxin-producing algae that grows rapidly in the hot and stagnant waters of the Ross Island Lagoon. As the thick algal blooms are carried out by winds and tides to the mainstem of the river, it can become, for days on end, unhealthy for humans, pets and aquatic life. There's an easy fix that's been years in the making, according to Willie Levenson, founder of the Portland-based nonprofit Human Access Project. Standing in the way is the last $1 million he and river engineers at Oregon State University need to finish designing it. House Bill 3314, sponsored by state Reps. Rob Nosse and Mark Gamba, Democrats from Portland and Milwuakie, would direct about $1 million to Oregon State University to finish designing a channel that would cut through Ross Island. The channel would restore the river's natural flow through what were multiple islands a century ago and flush out harmful cyanobacteria and algae forming in the lagoon. The bill will have its first public hearing Wednesday morning at the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water. 'This is a small investment that will solve a significant problem,' Levenson said. The Human Access Project, which aims to get people in closer contact with the river, has been working with Oregon State University scientists to collect data and determine solutions for six years. Levenson spent about two years fundraising about $500,000 through grants from nonprofits and local tribal governments, enough for the first 30% of the planning process. The rest of the plan hinges on getting money from the Legislature. 'We're concerned that without the money to finish the planning soon, the momentum to do this will stall out,' Levenson said. Ross Island used to be one of a complex of four islands. In the 1920s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved the earth on two of the islands around to create an embankment connecting them to divert water and make a deeper shipping channel in the river, as well as to make it more accessible to industry. The two islands combined created the U-shaped Ross Island, but the new embankment stopped the natural flow of the river between the islands and the lagoon became a '140-acre pond inside a river,' according to Levenson. In 1926, the Ross Island Sand and Gravel Co. established itself on the island and started excavating millions of tons of gravel from the river to make cement, creating a large hole in the river until 2001. The combination of the gravel excavation, the man-made lagoon around it, hot summers and pollution from nearby cities has led to the perfect conditions for cyanobacteria and algal blooms to grow in the area. By cutting through the embankment that the Army Corps built in 1926 and letting the river flow between the islands again, the bacteria and algae will be flushed out of the area, Oregon State Scientists found. Once planning is finished in the next two years, Levenson said he and Oregon State will seek up to $8 million to carry it out. He said there are a few different funding streams they'll pursue, including potentially asking the Legislature to foot some of the bill. The Ross Island Sand and Gravel Co. though no longer operational, is under orders from the Department of State Lands to undertake reclamation work to refill the hole the company left in the river from decades of excavation. As part of that, it's possible the company could offer to pay for some of the channeling work. Randall Steed, general manager of the company, did not respond to a call or email requesting comment. Officials in charge of the billion-dollar Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, made up of revenue from a 1% tax on large retail businesses in the city, declined to fund project planning and implementation because it was not reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to Levenson. Annual algal blooms are not just an environmental and public health issue, he said, but an economic issue that will drive people, events and businesses away from Portland in the summer. 'If the Willamette keeps turning green every summer, it will be an anchor around the neck of downtown's recovery,' Levenson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
