 * “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
—Helen Keller
Replies to this message are sent to an unmonitored mailbox.
To contact me, please click here: Sen.JeffGolden@oregonlegislature.gov
Next week is the second of three sets of Legislative Days that are held in between regular legislative sessions. We’ll gather in Salem for committee meetings and various huddles and conversations to prepare bills for the 2025 session. I’d like to check in with you real-time while I’m up there. I hope you’ll join me for a live Town Hall from my office at 5:30pm, Tuesday September 24 by using this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86247667576?pwd=JBAHkfNinfEpIgvhbDb9WYwzKSghpy.1
You’re also welcome to tune in earlier that same day as I chair the Leg Days meeting of the Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire Committee, Tuesday at 8:30am. On the agenda you’ll see discussion on the progress of the work group looking for long-term funding sources for our wildfire programs, enforcement actions on problems at the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River, the Private Forest Accord that came out of historic negotiations between the timber industry and the conservation community, concerns about the gradual loss of valuable farm and forest land around the state, and a proposed constitutional amendment to safeguard the rights of Oregonians to a livable environment.
You’ll be able to watch all of this live online. If you go to the agenda page, look for a small camera icon on the right hand side of the page beside the meeting date listed under "Meetings". The camera icon will appear at the start of the meeting. You’ll also be able to watch the recording afterwards.
I write these words on a picture-perfect Rogue Valley end-of-summer day: bright clean air, soft breeze, 76 degrees—the kind of weather that pulled many of here in the first place. It gives you hope that we’ve survived another wildfire season, but don’t bet the ranch. The Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, California stated November 8, 2018, and recent Octobers have seen ignition of more than a few major fires. So as you breathe easier, please keep your wildfire awareness sharp.
This year set the record for Oregon acreage burned in a single year. That surprises some Rogue Valley folks, because other than the brief Salt Creek Fire a few miles east of Eagle Point, we saw no fires of significance near our Valley, and serious smoke episodes were fewer than in most recent summers. A complex of Douglas County fires west of Crater Lake scorched considerable forest acreage, but the lion’s share of this year’s fire spread across the rangelands of Eastern Oregon.
 The Durkee fire in eastern Oregon
Rangeland fire isn’t well understood by most folks in southwestern Oregon. Because it generally lacks the fuel density that creates the catastrophic fire and community destruction we see in forested parts of the state, we might discount the hardship it causes. But the damage this year’s fire has inflicted on agricultural lands, and the cattle industry in particular, will be more than some ranchers can survive. It’s one more reason that sustaining our wildfire programs is so important, and that hinges on the success of the the big work group currently meeting to come up with reliable ways to fund them. More on that to come.
If you live in or near Talent, chances are your summer was rougher than most. This tiny portion of Pacific Power’s service area experienced dozens of power outages lasting from about an hour to almost twenty-four hours over a two month period. Even if you live elsewhere you can imagine the amount of frustration and anxiety that caused.
 Talent City Hall
At a recent rally outside of Talent City Hall, a few people told me that Pacific Power responded to their complaints with boiler-plate messages that made them feel disrespected. Later that day I reached out to Pacific Power President Ryan Flynn to invite him down for a direct conversation with customers who’d taken the brunt of the outages. He immediately accepted and came to the Talent Library on the evening of September 11. Here is what resulted.
I was impressed by how ready Mr. Flynn was to show up for a meeting that he knew wouldn’t be comfortable. He has professional PR staff and could have sent them in his place. While there were concerns in the room he couldn’t address well, I believed his commitment to making sure there’d be no replay of 2024 in future years. I’ll be following up on my request that the company find ways to partially compensate customers for clear economic damage from the outages, and to learn more about plans for improved service during wildfire season. This experience will also go into the hopper for a broader conversation this session about utility rates and how they get made, and how the costs of the utility industry’s mounting challenges should be shared.
The growing struggle over expanding commercial jet boat use of the Rogue River upstream of Tou Velle Park (where Table Rock Road crosses the river) prompted the agency that regulates Oregon’s waterways to take a nearly unprecedented step: the entire Board is coming here to the Valley to have a look for themselves. They want to hear from citizens who care about this issue. Here’s their invitation to the public:
The Oregon State Marine Board will be holding a work session on October 2, 2024, beginning at 8:30 am at Rogue Community College Medford Campus HEC Room 129 A/B located in Medford, Oregon. The meeting will be held in person and virtually and will be livestreamed via Teams Town Hall.
External viewers can watch the work session here: https://bit.ly/3XceejZ
Public comment for this meeting will be accepted in writing or by attending the public comment portion of the meeting. Public comment will begin at 1:30 pm and will end after the last speaker or by 4:00 pm, whichever occurs first. Public comment will be accepted in person and online. If you would like to provide verbal public comment online during the meeting please contact Jennifer Cooper, jennifer.cooper@boat.oregon.gov, to get registered no later than 5:00 pm on September 27, 2024. If you would like to provide comments in person, please sign in at the sign in table when you arrive. We will end public comment promptly at 4:00 pm. Any speakers who have not had the opportunity to provide comments can submit their comments in writing. Public comment will be accepted in writing until 5:00 pm on October 16, 2024 and can be sent to jennifer.cooper@boat.oregon.gov or by US mail to Oregon State Marine Board, Attn: Jennifer Cooper, 435 Commercial St NE Ste 400 Salem, OR 97301.
External viewers can watch public comment here (please note that this link does not allow viewers to speak): https://bit.ly/3ASWMtq
*Please note that the links for the work session and public comment are different. You will need to use the separate links to view each portion. Please also note that mobile devices may require installation of a free Teams app to watch.
The meeting agenda and materials can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/osmb/info/Pages/Board-and-Public-Meetings.aspx
That’s it until Tuesday evening’s online Town Hall from the Capitol. Hope to see you then.
 Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3
Emergency alerts and assistance:
- Information about local cooling centers.
- Sign up for OR-alert and get lifesaving alerts and instructions during emergencies to help you and others stay safe.
Housing and food:
If you are in need of housing assistance, ACCESS has resources here. ACCESS also has a food pantry locator and food program information here.
Unemployment Insurance:
If you have filed an Unemployment Insurance claim and are in need of assistance, the Employment Department can be reached at:
frances.oregon.gov/claimant or by calling 877-345-3484. If you continue to have questions or concerns about your claim, please reach out to our office for assistance at sen.jeffgolden@oregonlegislature.gov
| 
