Farmers and conservationists in Oregon continue to fight the Port of Columbia County’s attempt to develop a renewable diesel refinery along the lower Columbia River, and to rezone farmland for industrial park expansion.

So far Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals has blocked the development plans, which we continue to believe put farms at risk.

NEXT Renewables wants to build the largest renewable diesel refinery on the West Coast at Port Westward, an industrial park owned by the Port of Columbia County near Clatskanie, about 60 miles northwest of Portland.

The refinery would produce up to 50,000 barrels of renewable diesel per day, made from recycled organic material such as used cooking oil.

But neighbors, including local farmers, argue the facility poses a threat to crops and the environment. Port Westward is next to the Beaver Slough Drainage District, which manages irrigation canals and flood control for 5,717 acres of farmland.

As part of the facility, NEXT had proposed building, and Columbia County permitted, a 318-car rail yard on land zoned for exclusive farm use. That permitting was appealed to LUBA by Columbia Riverkeeper, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Mike Seely, of Seely Mint Farm.

NEXT had characterized the rail facility as a branch line, which would be permitted under land use laws, but LUBA sided with opponents.

Though a 318-car facility seems like a big deal to us, NEXT officials say LUBA’s decision will not have a big impact on the project. The facility intends to use port facilities for most of its deliveries and shipments.

So, the project moves forward.

We appreciate the port’s desire to expand its facilities, and the economic boon development would bring to the county. It purchased farmland for that purpose. NEXT officials have stated the $1.6 billion refinery will employ more than 200 people, with annual state and local taxes exceeding $45 million.

But the farms adjacent and in the immediate area occupy a fragile ag ecosystem.

The low-lying area has been farmed since the 1860s. Dikes were then built in the early 1920s to hold back the Columbia River.

The Beaver Slough Drainage District manages three pumps to control water levels for irrigation. During the rainy season, the pumps are turned on to avoid flooding. In the dry summer, they are turned off to raise water levels for farms to irrigate crops. Farmers worry a spill at the site would contaminate that water source.

Not all farmers in the area oppose the rezoning. But while they are confident development at the port won’t hurt their operations, it would in no way enhance them.

Productive farmland is under assault all across the West by developers who want to build houses, alternative energy facilities and other commercial enterprises. All of these have supporters who can cite the economic benefits the projects will bring.

But farmland is a finite resource. Once paved over or contaminated, it can’t be recovered. It should be left in place and protected.