Northampton County Council has a Parks and Open Space Committee designed to review county park improvements, as well as farmland preservation and open space grants. These were endorsed, in principle, by voters in a 2002 referendum. Council member Tara Zrinski, the current chair of that committee, has persuaded council to rename it. As of Feb. 21, it is now known as the energy, environment and land use committee.

Zrinski advised council members that she would like to be more involved in land use issues, even though that is the domain of townships, boroughs and cities.

She also began a discussion of the Green New Deal, which she called a “progressive vision for environmental sustainability.” She said she recognizes that county government is unable to implement all of the goals, such as free college. She added, however, that the county could promote more green policies, such as solar panels.

Zrinski is herself a solar panel salesperson.

In addition to the Green New Deal, Zrinski discussed changes in the new Farm Bill that will incentivize the use of industrial hemp.

Jennifer Masero, a Penn State Extension specialist, advised council that legalized production of hemp will encourage more agricultural diversity at a time when area farmers are struggling. She said most of them have second jobs. She added that the suicide rate among farmers is very high, although the Centers For Disease Control retracted a report about these suicides.

Zrinski noted hemp is indigenous to this region and was grown by many Moravian farmers in the colonial era. She said it has great potential in the slate belt and could produce a lot of jobs. “We don’t want to lose our farms to development,” she said.

She will propose several resolutions in April to promote the production of hemp.

“I’m all for hemp,” quipped Council President Ron Heckman.