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Hello Friends,
Although
we are in the midst of wet winter weather, the memories of last summer’s
catastrophic wildfires are still fairly fresh in the minds of several
legislators, including myself.
As
such, a group of bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers from all over the state has
been meeting once a week during the current session as the Legislative Fire
Caucus.
I’ve
been attending those meetings along with my staff because these issues are
important to me and the people I represent in the Oregon Senate. Those meetings
have included presentations from representatives of the Oregon Department of
Forestry’s Fire Protection Division, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, the
Oregon Society of American Foresters and Sustainable Northwest.
The
caucus and its members produced a total of four bills for consideration in the
2018 session. Senate
Bill 1560 would allow the State Forester to order the use of
wildlife suppression personnel, equipment and services on any lands within
state borders. That bill did not advance through the legislative process.
House
Bill 4109 would direct the Department of Environmental Quality
and State Forestry Department to study opportunities for state actions to
promote carbon sequestration and include in the study consideration of regional
approaches for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon sequestration. That
bill passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural
Resources February 15 and has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
House
Bill 4152-A would require the Office of Emergency
Management to issue grants to the Multnomah and Hood River County sheriff’s offices
for expenses related to wildfire recovery, mitigation and preparedness in the
aftermath of the devastating Columbia Gorge Fire. It passed out of the House
Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness unanimously on February 15 and
the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction on February 28. It will
head to full Ways and Means for the next step in the process.
House
Bill 4118-A expresses the state policy regarding the
pursuit of projects under the state’s Good Neighbor Authority Agreement with
the U.S. Forest Service. I had written about the Good Neighbor Authority in a previous
newsletter. Governor Brown signed the agreement with USFS last
March, along with the state forester, USFS Regional Forester and the director
of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
That
bill was also passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Agriculture and
Natural Resources February 15 and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital
Construction on February 28. I expect that it will also be brought before the
full Ways and Means Committee prior to the end of the session, which must take
place no later than March 11.
The
passage of all these bills wouldn’t solve the problems of our catastrophic
wildfires all at once, but they do represent steps in the right direction
towards better preserving forest and public health.
Yours truly,
Sen. Alan DeBoer
Senate District 3
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-421, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: sen.AlanDeBoer@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/deboer
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