Greetings!
In
the past few weeks, I have been extremely busy with a variety of conferences
and special events. During the last week
in August I was pleased to participate in the 2015 Oregon Coast Economic
Summit, hosted by the Oregon Coastal Caucus.
This was a wonderful three day event where we covered a myriad of
topics, including education, job creation and economic development in Oregon
coastal and rural regions. The coastal
environment is of key importance, and I hosted a panel on ocean acidification
and hypoxia, experts are hoping to prevent the next oyster crash through
science and research. This was the
fourth annual event and attracted more than 450 people, including Governor Kate
Brown, Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, and
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.
This
past month, Congresswoman Bonamici spent
some quality time on the North Coast, in early September, she held a local
leaders meeting prior to a Warrenton Town Hall session, and was able to update
north coast residents on a variety of federal issues. Of continuing interest to
our coastal community members has been emergency preparedness and resilience
planning, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency planning efforts.
I was
delighted to participate in the second annual Cannon Beach Race the Wave, an
event designed to build awareness of tsunami preparedness. The race begins on the beach and progresses
along evacuation routes to higher ground, and ended at a preparedness fair on
Elk Creek Road. The event was well
attended and included federal, state and local officials interested in the
safety and welfare of our coastal residents.
Oregon Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps, Clatsop County Emergency Manager Tiffany Brown, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and me.
While many people in House District 32 live within tsunami inundation zones,
and are understandably concerned about disaster preparedness, it is a relief to see that federal and state
officials are now paying more attention to this issue.. On Tuesday September 15th, Governor
Kate Brown headlined the rollout event for the updated Cascadia Playbook at the
Oregon Office of Emergency Management Emergency Coordination Center. The playbook supports various plans and
efforts for the first two weeks of a catastrophic incident, which would include
a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami. As the Governor pointed out
in her comments: "While
the Cascadia Playbook can't keep the worst natural disaster from happening, it
will ensure that Oregon is as prepared as possible.”
Governor Kate Brown at Cascadia Playbook Rollout
Last week
the Land Conservation and Development Commission met in Astoria for three days,
on Wednesday they toured downtown Astoria and heard about recent development,
and then held a Community Roundtable with elected officials and community
leaders to discuss local land use issues.
Their Thursday meeting included information on tsunami planning, where
the commission listened to staff and elected officials from Cannon Beach and
Clatsop County on tsunami-related planning activities, partnerships, opportunities
and ongoing challenges for our coastal region.
Friday, one of their agenda items related to marine renewable energy, and
the commission heard an update and status report on several marine renewable
energy projects that are currently seeking state and federal permits within
state and federal waters. The Land
Conservation and Development Commission holds six meetings annually and while they
are based in Salem, this year they also traveled to Portland, Burns, and Astoria. I think it is important for the commission
to visit all areas of the state, because each region has unique land use
challenges.
The Oregon
Department of Transportation announced that the US 101 preservation project
from Wheeler to the Wilson River will be completed next spring. The project is about halfway complete but
was halted this week, since there would not be enough time for the necessary
secondary pavement compacting and installation of permanent striping before
winter rains begin. The contractor was
able to complete nearly nine miles of the project from just south of Wheeler to
around Barview which is just south of Rockaway Beach.
Starting after March 15, 2016, the contractor will complete the
remainder of the project from Barview down to the Wilson River near the
Tillamook Cheese Factory.
On Monday of this week lawmakers returned to Salem for three Legislative
Days, where we are holding committee meetings, getting agency briefings, and
hearing the latest state financial forecast.
No legislation is passed during the quarterly legislative days, but it
is a chance to prepare for the five-week session that begins February 1, 2016
where we will consider a limited number of new bills, and tweak the budget if
necessary.
Even when the Legislature is not in session, we still check our messages
regularly, so if you do have a concern or comment or need help regarding a
state issue or agency, please contact my office. It is my privilege to represent you in the
Oregon House of Representatives and I look forward
to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Deborah Boone
email: Rep.DeborahBoone@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1432 address: 900 Court St NE, H-481, Salem, OR, 97301 website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boone
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