 As children head back to school around the state, please be aware while driving. Best of luck to our students, teachers, staff, parents and families for a great school year!
Hello friends,
The end of this week marks the end of newsletters for the blackout period. I wanted to reach out with some information, thoughts and opinions as we move into fall.
We'll start with some photos and information of some of the work being done through the interim, then we'll dive into some other information and opinion that some of you may agree with and others will not. Wherever you may fall, Oregon is on the wrong path and we need a new direction for the health, life and safety of our children, families and communities.
 BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) has designated potential floating offshore wind call areas 13+ miles off the coast of Oregon near Brookings/Harbor and Coos Bay. To get ahead of this and have a larger voice, I drafted and passed a planning/study bill in 2021. To garner greater input from stakeholders up and down the coast, we created six listening sessions from Astoria to Brookings so that our residents, fishermen and other stakeholders could engage in the process. I attended every listening session and appreciate all that participated in the process and look forward to working with you as the federal BOEM and state process moves forward.
 I had the privilege to join other legislators from 24 states and Canadian provinces at the Legislative Energy Horizon Institute where we took a deep dive into everything energy. It was challenging and insightful, collaborating with industry and legislative leaders of North America. I look forward to continuing this educational opportunity this November.
 Part of our conference was touring the Columbia Generation Facility which produces 1250 MW of energy. With todays technology, nuclear is a clear and clean alternative for baseload power. There are great opportunities ahead for small scale right here in Oregon and I will be proposing legislation in the upcoming ’23 Session to set the table for discussions for paths forward. Additionally, I am a legislative member of PNWER (Pacific Northwest Economic Region) where we will be engaging in energy plans for our region.
 My colleagues and I met with ODFW staff for a tour of the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery that was burned by fire. The Rock Creek Hatchery, as with all of our hatchery systems, are critically important to our rivers. The majority of the ODF&W Commission continues to impede the work of our hatcheries in Oregon, as well as work by the STEP and incubation/hatch box programs. I will continue to advocate for our hatchery systems and will have legislation in the upcoming ’23 Session to bolster these critical programs and facilities for our rivers.
 My colleagues and I toured the Port of Coos Bay. There are some great opportunities on the horizon for the Port of Coos Bay and the region as a whole. NorthPoint and the Port of Coos Bay have entered into a MOU to move forward with a multimodal terminal shipping container & rail project anticipated to create 500 short-term construction jobs during the initial building phase with up to 250 permanent, full-time family-wage jobs for operations. I will continue to support these efforts in every way possible as well as innovative ways to create housing supply and construction that will be needed across the region for these developments.
 I appreciate Southern Coos Hospital’s CEO Hino, Board members and staff for the exceptional tour a few weeks ago. The conversations went very well and were enlightening in regards to the various healthcare challenges facing our rural providers and their residents. We will be working on a number of legislative concepts together that will hopefully ease the opportunities for increases in nursing and provider staffing and help incentivize healthcare education. I’m grateful for the dedication of Southern Coos Hospitals board and staff and I look forward to working with them towards increasing their services to our residents.
On a personal note, days after this tour I needed emergency medical care due to tonsillitis. I never had a problem with my tonsils until Friday, August 26th when I awoke to serious swelling. When I finally went to Curry General ED Sunday morning, I was in need of emergency surgery due to swelling causing an inability to swallow and constricting my breathing. I witnessed the lack of medical beds due to staffing shortages first hand. I am grateful to the Doctors, Nurses and Medical Staff at Curry General Hospital's ED in Gold Beach who took swift action to stabilize me, Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay and Dr. Shimotakahara, Dr. Frey and their surgery team who performed the late Sunday night surgery, and John and other ICU Nurses that made sure I pulled through. It was a scary few days, however I am so appreciative of the skilled medical personnel we have here on the south coast. I would add that I do not recommend this type of diet, it is extremely painful. I also should have taken a few days rather than participating in Zoom meetings from the ICU. I am still on the mend and speech is still limited, which should make some happy I guess.
EDUCATION
 The democrat majority in Oregon has failed our children. Prior to the pandemic, Oregon's graduation rates were nearly last in the Nation. The democrat majority's solution: raise your taxes! Former Senator Betsy Johnson was the deciding vote to pass the democrat majority's tax pyramid scheme called the CAT (Corporate Activities Tax) that was to raise billions in additional tax revenue to fund education. However, the democrat majority under Kate Brown and Tina Kotek have sole authority over state budgets. They get to give more to one side, and take it away to fund other pet projects from the other side.
Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and the democrat majorities next solution? Rather than hold educators responsible, they passed legislation to lower the graduation standards in Oregon. Then, just last week the Oregon Department of Education comes forward with even more harmful recommendations, "ODE Releases Recommendations Report On Making Oregon’s Diploma Requirements More Equitable, Accessible and Inclusive". Click Here for Link Tests have somehow become inequitable and further lowering the requirements seems to be the democrat majority's continued path forward unless stopped. They have also failed our daughters in particular when it comes to sports. There should be no question as to athletics based on XX or XY chromosomes and we will be moving forward legislation to make sure our daughters have the right to compete in the sports they choose within an inclusive and equitable gender environment in Oregon. Additionally, there should be no litter boxes for "fury's" in our school bathrooms and no reason to have feminine hygiene products in designated boys school bathrooms.
I will continue to support career technical education and career coordinated learning. Oregon needs tradesmen and women across the state in all sectors. These trade sector jobs are critically important to our communities and their economies. We will be requesting more training and opportunities to grow these programs across the state to have graduate ready internships and programs for our youth to succeed.
Public Safety
 The democrat majority in Oregon has failed our residents in regards to public safety and their lack of leadership has threatened the health, life and safety of all Oregonians. Kate Brown and Tina Kotek have coddled the woke mob for years, while denigrating our law enforcement officers that put their lives on the line to protect our families. Night after night private mom and pop businesses were defaced, robbed, looted while fires burned, and the democrat majority, the elected leaders of the communities like Tina Kotek, were silent.
And the violence continues today as Kate Brown and Tina Kotek's lack of condemnation essentially condoned such lawlessness, crime, theft and murders are now at an all time high! Click Here for Video
Just last week, the Portland Police Bureau presented it's annual report to the City with Mayor Wheeler cussing with full hypocrisy. Over 220 Portland Police have either retired or left the department due to the Mayor, City Commissioner's, Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and other democrat electeds lack of support of public safety personnel, as there are plenty of resources budgeted to hire more law enforcement. However, when your elected democrat leaders do not support you, when your elected democrat DA's refuse to prosecute the crimes you arrest for, why would you want to work for the hypocrites that condemn your public service, when they are to blame for the crisis levels of crime that currently exist. Click Here to Read More Residents are tired of the continuous lack of support for public safety personnel by their elected leaders. Again, last week another Portland resident that recently moved his family from Ohio is appalled and scared for his family, “It’s kind of disappointing. I worked hard to get where I’m at, to move my family 36 hours, to deal with this? No,” he said. “Gunshots and gun violence and that’s one reason we moved, to get away from stuff like that. And to feel safe walking to school, and to move to a nice neighborhood but it’s like there are people doing narcotics sitting outside. We can’t let our kids go outside and play on the front porch, let alone walk to school.” Bright told KOIN 6 News that issues with the homeless have gotten so bad, that his wife now wants to take their children and move back to Ohio. He goes on to say, “Nobody does anything about anything here. When my car got vandalized, when my house got vandalized the police officer said ‘welcome to Portland,'” Bright said. Click Here to Read the Article
Democrats refuse to Back the Blue and their backwards policies and lack of support for public safety personnel have created the space for crime and lawlessness to flourish. It's time for a new direction for Oregonians and the future of our communities where law enforcement is supported. Where our kids can walk safely to school without having to step over feces and needles. Where you can sleep at night without worrying if your car is out front for work in the morning. It's time for the democrats ability to enable crime to come to an end.
Out of Control Agency Bureaucrats
 Oregon's DEQ Director Whitman, once famous for answering my questions in committee regarding Oregon's emissions towards atmospheric carbon during debates on Cap & Trade, “Representative Brock Smith you are correct. That Oregon's portion of global carbon emissions is, I'll use the word minuscule," he said, is at it again. This time however and again following California's lead like with Cap & Trade, he is having his agency essential ban the sale of carbon combustion vehicles in Oregon by 2035.
As many of you know, I have been a leader in the state regarding issues around carbon and energy, I was the Co-Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction with former Senator Cliff Bentz (who has now moved onto US Congress) and I am currently the Vice Chair of the Committee on Environment & Natural Resources. (Click Here for Video on Cap & Trade) I attended the virtual RAC meeting on this last week and blasted the agency for pushing forward this agenda. DEQ has no business moving forward with such broad policy through rulemaking, outside of the legislative process. Such policy should only be done through legislation, where public hearings and multi agency information can be acquired and then ultimately be voted on by the legislative body, not through one state agency behind the scenes rulemaking process. This is a horrible abuse of process and just one of many examples of unelected bureaucrat overreach. Further, DEQ has limited the public input process and it expires on Sept. 7th. Let Director Whitman know what your think by emailing him at: richard.whitman@deq.oregon.gov
Unfortunately, Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and Oregon's democrat majority hasn't come across a bad California idea they don't like, and this is one of them. As this article (Click Here for Link) describes, "California set itself on a path Thursday to end the era of gas-powered cars, with air regulators adopting the world’s most stringent rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, and Washington state and Massachusetts already have said they will follow California’s lead. “It’s going to be very hard getting to 100%,” said Daniel Sperling, a board member and founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. “You can’t just wave your wand, you can’t just adopt a regulation — people actually have to buy them and use them.”" However, as the picture describes above, even California, who has a much more robust energy grid than Oregon, has problems creating/distributing the energy to meet current load, let alone the increased load of such a dramatic policy. Click Here for Article Sure enough, California had to bring online fossil based fuel power generation to meet the demand across the grid. Click Here for Article Once again, 'renewables' are intermittent and are not reliable enough alone to meet load demand. So even California turns to Jet Fueled power plants to keep the lights on. Click Here for Article Just yesterday out of California, "Rotating power outages are now possible to protect grid Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 declared; next step is to begin outages." Click Here for the full report.
As Oregon democrats continue to phase out natural gas, while adding more load to the grid, blackouts will follow. Natural Gas is critical to balance the load within the grid. It also plays a important role in the distribution of energy across the state. Many urban subdivisions are supported by natural gas for heat, cooking, dryers, hot water heaters and more. As the attack on this source of energy continues, more reliance will be placed on electrical energy just in these urban subdivisions as an example, and the grid will fail. Now add DEQ's rulemaking on only selling electric vehicles after 2035 (it's only 13 years away) and you have a disaster where people are literally choosing whether to heat their home OR cook their child's dinner OR charge their car to get to work the following day. But forget about the hot shower.
Again, all virtue signaling policies rather than those that actually benefit Oregonians. Remember, when Dr. Philip Mote, Director, Oregon Climate Services and Oregon Climate Change Research Institute was asked by me in committee what the impact would be on the global climate if Oregon were to reduce their emissions to zero, he responded the impact would be, “Imperceptible.”
I have drafted and presented multiple pieces of legislation that would have a positive impact in reducing emissions where they are the most abundant, Portland. One in particular would have incentivized electric vehicle purchases for lower income Oregonians within the Portland/Metro area. This would have helped remove the older carbon emitting cars that sit in stop and go traffic for hours on end everyday. It would have made EV purchases much more affordable to those that drive those older vehicles and might have to travel a little farther for work within the Metro area. Tina Kotek, with all of her climate rhetoric, wouldn't even allow the legislation to have a public hearing.
More Hypocrisy
To build all of this "new" clean energy infrastructure, it requires materials, many of which are mined from the Earth. Now, I'm not even going to get into the 'NIMBY' (not in my back yard) hypocrisy of how our environmental laws are much greater than that of other countries that we are beholden to supply these materials. I mean, carbon emissions are a global issue, right? It seems only if it fits the environmental for profit nonprofit narrative of the democrat handlers. Just last week, President Biden is seeking a waiver around the 'Buy American' rules in his own infrastructure package. "President Joe Biden has long promised to create millions of high-paying jobs by advancing clean energy and other climate-related goals. But supply chains for critical components of green technology — from the minerals in batteries to the microchips in cars and electronics — are not always reliably based in the U.S. or with allies." Click Here for the Article
Here in Oregon, as democrats continue to penalize natural gas based energy, renewable infrastructure continues to deteriorate while costs to consumers continues to rise. These two issues are coming to a head, and Oregonians are going to pay the price. An investigation into PGE's wind turbines reported in late August reveals this and other serious issues with the push for 100% renewables in Oregon. Click Here for the Article
Among the findings:
- PGE has failed to report public safety incidents at Biglow Canyon, in potential violation of its operating agreement with the state. The utility hasn’t disclosed incidents where hatches, metal disks and blade bolts have fallen off turbines from a height of about 265 feet. PGE has questioned whether such incidents meet the reporting threshold, but regulators insist even small objects may be a hazard to anyone near a turbine because they can reach almost 90 mph when falling.
- PGE knowingly operated at least four turbines at Biglow Canyon with broken blade bolts, in one case for nearly a year, maintenance records show. Those bolts clamp blades to the rotor and bear the stress of wind and motion. Research indicates that broken bolts, while not uncommon, can become a serious problem leading to catastrophic blade failures like the one in February.
- Oil leaks from Biglow Canyon’s wind turbines and transformers are environmental and fire hazards. The turbines have been plagued by leaks of oil and lubricants that coat towers and blades and spit on to their gravel pads and surrounding fields. Transformers have ruptured regularly, causing two fires and spilling about 3,000 gallons of mineral oil into surrounding soil that prompted expensive cleanups.
- The number of problems PGE has disclosed to regulators is out of line with other wind farms. Since 2010, PGE has reported more than a dozen oil spills and other incidents at Biglow Canyon with the potential to affect public safety — about three times more than any other wind farm regulated by the state. But state officials only recently began pressing PGE to explain those troubles.
- Biglow Canyon has generated far less power than PGE originally projected. The availability of its Vestas wind turbines to produce energy has abruptly declined in recent years, and the project’s rate of energy production is less than neighboring wind farms of comparable age.
- Ratepayers may end up footing the bill for assets that are no longer useful. The project’s 76 turbines manufactured by Vestas are halfway through their projected life but PGE is already considering replacing them. If that happens by the end of 2023, ratepayers would be stuck covering $156 million in remaining costs.
The summary, as Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and their democrat law makers phase out natural gas and other power sources to 100% renewables, the current renewable infrastructure will be passed its life and need to be replaced. So not only will energy be less reliable to heat your homes and cook your family's dinner, it will cost every Oregonian much more to do so. This cost will be exponentially greater due to not only phasing out natural gas, which will have to be replaced with some renewable, but all the existing renewables that are currently supplying power will also have to be replaced during the same period. This does not even account for the increased costs associated with the need for increased energy from growth within our state.
We can do better than these virtue signaling democrat policies that add enormous financial burdens to Oregonians and their families with little to no net environmental benefit. An investigation and complete review is necessary. I will be proposing legislation in the '23 Session that does this and also studies the costs associated with these policies versus the carbon reductions so that Oregonians have clear understanding of what they are paying for.
Lastly, in some Kate Brown hypocrisy news. Here in rural Oregon, we struggle to bring industry and working family jobs. We mainly struggle against the very state agencies that are supposed to be there to be supportive, yet they are not. Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and Oregon democrats and their environmental for profit nonprofit handlers rarely allow legislation to pass that would help grow our rural communities. (I have drafted and introduced many) They paved and continue to pave over the best farmland in the state, growing their own urban backyards, but rural Oregonians can't catch a break.
Enter last week, "Gov. Kate Brown seeks emergency funds to speed environmental reviews for new Oregon chip factories." Yes, that's the headline of the article. Kate Brown wants to use your tax dollars to pay through her own agencies red tape on economic development. I know what you're thinking, you can't make this stuff up! I have an idea, how about we fix the state agencies that won't allow economic development! Click Here to read the article.
 Young boy looks over the devastation of the Chetco Bar Fire
Let's briefly talk about the democrats and their environmental for profit nonprofit handlers hypocrisy when it comes to carbon sequestration. Here in Oregon, we produce roughly 65 mmt of anthropogenic emissions. Every car, mill, restaurant, log truck, home and business is accounted for. I drafted legislation a few sessions ago that would generate the data of the sequestration benefits of Oregon's forests, considering over have the land in the state is federally owned and managed. (Which is another conversation to have. Click Here for more Information on federally owned land across the U.S.) Although my legislation did not pass (when you have a good idea but are in the minority, they rarely do) the work moved forward. Now we know that roughly 31 mmt of carbon is sequestered by our forests annually. Yes, you read that right, nearly half of the carbon emissions produced annually by Oregonians is sequestered annually by our forests. And it gets better. We also wanted to know how much carbon is sequestered by our wood products industry, considering the democrats and their environmental for profit nonprofit handlers attack the timer industry in Oregon annually. The industry's emissions are surely accounted for in the total 65 mmt of anthropogenic emissions produced. It turns out, it is over 8 mmt stored in our wood products annually!
So what about the environmental hypocrisy when it comes to wildfire? This is where the buck should stop, but it always gets burned. Our forests are a carbon sequestrating marvel, that while sequestrating carbon, they produce the most resilient building material on the planet, with a biproduct that is oxygen. Due to lack of management and over 100 years of fire suppression, we have an 'epidemic of trees' in our state and federal forest systems. Overgrown unhealthy forests that have ladder fuels that burn with incredible intensity, and natural meadowlands gone and overgrown, that used to supply natural fire breaks. The data is clear, on average in Oregon, 80% of the acres burned are on unmanaged federal/state lands. Of the remaining 20% burned on private forestlands, 15% is from fires coming off of unmanaged federal/state lands. Of the true 5% of forests burned on private forestlands, they are fires kept under 100 acres. Click Here for more information.
The difference is that the private forestlands harvest the burned dead/dying tree and turn it's roughly 50% of weight that is stored carbon into wood products, which sequesters that 50% of carbon for generations. Then that private forestland owner replants four trees to every one harvested across the burnt landscape. That compared to the federal/state wildfire landscape where millions of acres are burned, and the environmental for profit nonprofits, the very stakeholders ringing the carbon climate bell, fight any post fire harvest from occurring across the millions of acres of burned landscape. So for the next 50+ years, that stored carbon is no longer sequestered, but is continuously released across the burned landscape. More importantly, there is no replanting and the areas are then filled with shrubs, as insects and disease invade. This also creates the perfect tinderbox with standing matchsticks for another megafire. It is past time for the environmental hypocrisy to end so that we can mitigate wildfire and sequester carbon. Click Here for More Information.
To that end, we will be introducing legislation to work with our Federal partners to expand the opportunities for thinning, ladder fuels reduction, meadowland restoration, salmon habitat enhancements and biochar production throughout the federal forest landscape to mitigate catastrophic wildfire, restore healthy forests and create long term, living wage, workforce jobs in our rural communities.
There are additional concerns with the environmental community. Particularly, the Oregon Global Warming Commission attempted to pass legislation that we were successful in stopping last session that would have set up the attacks on our working lands, farmers and ranchers, across the state. They continue to look at legislation that they will bring forward in the '23 Legislative Session that I believe their ultimate goal is to set a baseline of sequestered carbon and a baseline of produced emissions so that in the future they may begin to tax/fine any emissions over baseline or sequestration under baseline. We will continue to advocate the benefits our natural and working lands provide in the space of carbon capture across Oregon and push back on legislation that would further harm their way of life.
End the Mandates, Kate!
 I have been an outspoken advocate against Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and their democrat majority vaccine mandates that have unfairly crippled small business and employment across Oregon. (You can read more by Clicking Here and by Clicking Here) I also introduced legislation, the Covid Business Equity Act to stop the unfair attack on our hospitality industries across Oregon. (Click Here to read more) According to the Oregon Employment Department, Oregonians employed within the hospitality industry are the most racially diverse and the second most ethnically diverse in the state. Many of our small 'mom and pop' businesses closed their doors forever due to the Kate Brown/Tina Kotek mandates. Ultimately, I was able to receive a full two hour hearing on my bill thanks to a forward thinking, understanding moderate democrat who chaired the committee, Rep. Lively (to which I am grateful) however, then Speaker Tina Kotek refused to allow the bill to move so that we could save thousand of Oregon jobs and businesses.
Additionally, Kate Brown and Tina Kotek's vaccine mandates continue to negatively impact our healthcare and school workers. I am of the opinion that Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and the democrats of Oregon do not care if we lose these staff, as the majority of them come from rural areas, do not pay union dues and do not vote for their party.
It's past time to end the mandates, Governor. The mandates were first placed by you to alleviate the pressure on hospital beds, however now they are contributing to their shortage because of lack of nursing staff. Which is compounded by another failure of this democrat controlled state, as Oregon has the fewest hospital beds per capita in the Nation. As Covid infections continue regardless of vaccine status and with the new CDC guidance (listed in the photo above) it is past time to End the Vaccine Mandates, Governor Brown.
Speaking of Inflation
 Oregonians are in for a bumpy ride in the near future. We are seeing record revenues that will contribute to an estimated $3.5 billion dollar 'kicker' back to Oregon taxpayers, if we can keep Tina Kotek and her democrats from spending it before you receive it. (Click Here for the article) These revenues, according to the recent revenue forecast, will be short lived and the future will see continued decline in resources to fund the democrats' bloated Oregon Government. I say this because roughly over the last decade of one democrat party control of Oregon, the state's budget has nearly doubled. In that time has your income doubled? No. But your taxes and cost of goods and services have increased to pay for the Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and their democrat agenda. But are you better off because of it? Better healthcare or other state services? That line at the DMV any shorter? My conversations with Oregonians say they pay more and have less for it under this one party rule for the last decade. It is time to take Oregon in a new direction and save our state.
Some of you might consider a lot of this commentary to be very divisive. That I should, "work across the isle" and "build bridges". Well, many of you democrats should reflect on your praise of President Biden's hate speech last week. I am angry and frustrated with the direction Oregon is going with Kate Brown, Tina Kotek and their democrat one party rule across Oregon. I have been in the trenches and even though we might have a good idea that can help Oregonians, it fails to move because I have an "R" next to my name. That, is just wrong and yet I've watched it happen time and time again.
It is time to bring balance back to Oregon.
Yours truly,
Representative David Brock Smith
Together, We Will Build a Better Oregon
 House District 1
Curry, Coos, Douglas and Josephine Counties
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1401
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-379, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.DavidBrockSmith@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithd
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