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AIR QUALITY

SB 726 A would direct the Environmental Quality Commission to adopt rules requiring the use of advanced methane detection technology for surface emissions monitoring at municipal solid waste landfills, beginning 1/1/2027. The A7 amendment limits the bill's application to a landfill located in Benton County (e.g., Coffin Butte). Awaiting Governor’s signature.  

Related to this bill is HB 3794, a bill that would create a Task Force on Municipal Solid Waste in the Willamette Valley.   HB 3794 has been assigned to the Ways and Means Capital Construction Subcommittee.

BUDGETS/REVENUE

By Peggy Lynch

Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources. However, there are currently over 500 bills in Joint Ways and Means, with many of the agency budget bills now moving through that committee and to the floor and then on to the Governor.  

• Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 Dept. of Agriculture Fees:  SB 5503 Both bills awaiting the Governor’s signature. Five bills related to department’s various fee increases also passed Full Ways and Means.  HB 2805 Relating to food establishment licenses (Meeting Materials),  HB 2806  Relating to license fees for commercial instruments (Meeting Materials),  HB 2809 Relating to pesticide registration fees (Meeting Materials),  SB 1019 A Relating to brands (Meeting Materials), SB 832 A Relating to civil penalties for laws implemented by the State Department of Agriculture (Meeting Materials)

• Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508  LFO Recommendation Awaiting the Governor’s signature.

• Dept. of Environmental Quality:  SB 5520 League testimony. LFO Recommendation and Meeting Materials Awaiting a vote on the House floor.  

• Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 and Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 Meeting Materials.  Passed the House June 13.  Now awaiting the Governor’s signature. 

• Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife:  HB 5009 (LFO Recommendation), along with HB 2342 A  (LFO Recommendation) Relating to fees concerning wildlife, HB 2343 A (LFO Recommendation) Relating to the Columbia Basin endorsement and HB 2345 (LFO Recommendation) Relating to Oregon hatcheries.  These three bills passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 and now head to chamber floors. HB 5009 passed the House floor June 13. Conservationists, with HB 2977 (a -2 amendment has been filed), would add 1% (or 1.5%) for conservation programs.  That additional money would go to a special Fund at the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.  It had a hearing in House Revenue on May 8.  

• Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521. Meeting Materials;  LFO Recommendation Passed Full and and Means on June 13.  Headed for chamber votes as is HB 2072, Harvest Tax, LFO Recommendation.  

• Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI): HB 5010 LFO Recommendation. Passed Full Ways and Means  on June 6, passed the House floor and now headed to the Senate for a vote. Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials  LWVOR testimony LWVOR supports  SB 836, a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. Here is the LFO Recommendation for SB 836. It too passed Full Ways and Means and will go to the chamber floors.    

• Dept. of Land Conservation and Development:  SB 5528 LWVOR testimony.  The budget passed Full Ways and Means on June 13 and now heads to the chambers for votes. This budget and the Oregon Housing and Community Services budget (HB 5011) have been part of a challenging conversation between the Governor and the Ways and Means Co-Chairs with the Governor’s recommended budget being more than the May revenue forecast can afford. LFO Recommendation   

• Land Use Board of Appeals:  SB 5529  Public hearing Feb. 27 LWVOR testimony. The bill is awaiting the Governor’s signature.  

• Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB): HB 5021 and HB 2558 A modifies the definition of "charter guide" for purposes of outfitter and guide laws. Both bills are awaiting the Governor’s signature.  HB 2982 A, a bill that increases boating permit costs estimated to increase revenue to OSMB by about $1 million for the 2025-27 biennium, most of which will be used to address Aquatic and Invasive Species (AIS) management in partnership with the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife were considered together.  Here is the Legislative Fiscal Office recommendation for each of the three bills. HB 2982 passed the House chamber. Awaiting a vote in the Senate.  

• Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 LWVOR testimony in support.  LFO 2025-27 budget recommendation. Awaiting the Governor’s signature.

•  LFO budget recommendation  for SB 147.  Awaiting the Governor’s signature.  

• Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.:  HB 5026  Public hearing March 5. Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony in part to address comments by the Legislative Fiscal Office.  The bill passed Full Ways and Means.  passed the House. Now headed to the Senate chamber. LFO Recommendation . There is a bill related to contracting rules (SB 838 B) which is waiting Senate concurrence of House amendments. Another, SB 565, would move the Capitol State Park back to the control of the Dept. of Administrative Services, may come back in 2026.  

• Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Public hearing Feb. 18-20.  Meeting Materials. LWVOR testimony .  And the fee bills: support HB 2808 and support HB 2803 (The - 3 amendment was adopted, reducing the fees significantly which will cause the department a revenue shortfall should the amendment stand the scrutiny of Ways and Means where it now lies.) The budget and fee bills passed Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 10 along with HB 3544A, a bill that revises current statutes on contested case procedures related to new water right applications and water right transfer applications (contested cases) and the bills are headed to Full Ways and Means.

• Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039. Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR  testimony.   Meeting Materials. Work Session June 2 where it passed the Subcommittee and passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 .  Passed the House June 13. Now headed to the Senate for a vote.  LFO Recommendation 

• Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-26. Work Session June 2 where it passed the Subcommittee and passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 .  Now headed to both chambers for a vote.  LFO Recommendation  

• Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT):  SB 5541 info hearing 3/03-6, public hearing 3/11. The budget for ODOT has now been assigned to the Capital Construction Ways and Means Subcommittee.  Separately, HB 2025 is the comprehensive Transportation ReInvestment Package (TRIP) and it is being worked in a new committee: Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment. The League signed on to a letter in support of increased transit funding. 

• Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Info hearings 4/29-30.  Public hearing May 1st. This bill has been assigned to the Capital Construction Ways and Means Subcommittee.  

• Lottery Bonds: SB 5531: an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium. Public hearing May 9 and May 16 @ 1p.  The League supported two of the requests:  $160 million for preservation of rental housing and $25 million to preserve manufactured housing and $100 million Housing Infrastructure Fund in Section 14. There are over $2 billion in requests for a variety of projects around Oregon! 

• Emergency Board: HB 5006 This bill will be populated with an amount for the Emergency Board to spend at will and amounts in Special Purpose Appropriations if needed when the legislature is not in session.  

• General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505: an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium. Public hearing held April 18.  Second public hearing, this time on university and community college requests, was held May 2.  

• Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.) Public hearing held May 2.  

CLIMATE

By Claudia Keith and Team

See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report.  There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections.

COASTAL ISSUES

Coastal Program meetings on Offshore Wind Energy, Ocean Acidification and the Ocean Science Trust coming soon. 

The League supports HB 3580 eelgrass stabilization LWVOR signed letter of support and HB 3587A Protection of Rocky Habitat LWVOR signed letter of support (fiscal impact statement). To help these bills get funded, consider LWVOR’s Action Alert. If either of these bills are funded, it is most likely to be HB 3587.

The League signed on to a letter of support for HB 3963 , a bill that extends the timeline for the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development to provide a report on offshore wind conversations from 2025 to 2027.    The League signed on to testimony  in support. A work session was held May 29 where the bill passed committee in a partisan vote. The bill passed the House floor (34/18 with 2 excused) and now is headed to the Senate Rules Committee for a public hearing June 17.

DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) 

By Peggy Lynch

SB 1154 was filed by the Governor to address the groundwater/nitrate issue in Morrow and Umatilla counties per this OPB article.  See also in the Water section for a presentation of interest.  The bill has a public hearing and possible work session for June 9 in Senate Rules.  An A3 amendment is posted. The Governor’s office provided this slide show to help explain the policy implications. After the public hearing, they moved the work session to June 10.  It seems that there is still division and supporters of the original bill aren’t happy with the amendment while some of the opposition may be neutral on the amendment.  There have obviously been MANY work group meetings. This Oregon Capital Chronicle article helps explain the controversy. The bill passed out of Senate Rules on a party line (3/2) vote and now goes to the Senate floor.

DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI)

By Joan Fryxell

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has released multiple new reports in the first part of 2025.

• Open-File Report O-25-01: Earthquake and Tsunami Impact Analysis for the Oregon Coast. This report is the final in a series of evaluations of the potential impacts of a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake and accompanying tsunami affecting communities and parks along the length of the Oregon Coast. The analyses presented here update previous countywide studies completed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) between 2020 and 2023. This new report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/ofr/p-O-25-01.aspx.

• Open-File Report O-25-02: Ecola State Park Landslide Risk Analysis, Clatsop County, Oregon. Landslide hazards have been an issue at Ecola State Park since its designation in 1932.  The purpose of this project is to evaluate the current and future landslide susceptibility and risk within and surrounding Ecola to assist the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) in making decisions to reduce landslide risk, with an emphasis on roadways. This report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/ofr/p-O-25-02.aspx.

• Open-File Report O-25-03: Landslide Inventory Map of Western Hood River County, Oregon. Landslides are one of the most widespread and damaging natural hazards in Oregon. This map is an inventory of existing landslides in the study area and is one of the essential data layers used to delineate regional landslide susceptibility. This landslide inventory is not regulatory, and revisions can happen when new information regarding landslides is found or when new landslides occur. This new report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/ofr/p-O-25-03.aspx.

• Open-File Report O-25-04: Beaches and Dunes of Clatsop County, Oregon: 1975 to 2022. New lidar-based mapping along the Clatsop County coast provides updated spatial extents of beach and dune features exposed to existing and future storm-induced wave erosion, runup, overtopping, and coastal flooding. Side-by-side comparisons between 1975 and the latest mapping of beach and dune feature highlight important spatial changes in coastal geomorphology that have taken place. This new report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/ofr/p-O-25-04.aspx.

•  Open-File Report O-25-05: Path Distance Tsunami Modeling for Oregon Tsunami-Hazard Zones. The Oregon Coast is threatened by tsunamis originating from megathrust earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone as well as from distant earthquake sources, the nearest being Alaska. This GIS data release includes path distance evacuation modeling for all five local Cascadia and two Alaska distant tsunami inundation scenarios. These data are the basis for undertaking tsunami evacuation modeling. The new report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/ofr/p-O-25-05.aspx.

• Special Paper 55: Multitemporal LIDAR Analysis of Pre- and Post-Eagle Creek Fire Debris Flows, Western Columbia River Gorge, Hood River and Multnomah Counties, Oregon. The paper presents an evaluation of debris flows both prior to and post-2017 Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge. The paper also presents a method for evaluation of debris flows using multitemporal light detection and ranging (lidar). The intended audiences for this paper include those in government, industry, academia, and the public who are interested in debris-flow hazards prefire and postfire in western Oregon. The new report can be accessed at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/sp/SP-55.aspx.

• The Grassy-Mountain Gold Project Technical Review Team will meet June 16th. Information can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/mlrr/Pages/Calico-GrassyMtn_projectDocuments.aspx. The League continues to follow this project as the first consolidated permitting project to be held in Oregon.

ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF)

The ESRF Board of Directors met in North Bend June 11. Click here to download the meeting agenda and materials. The Board approved the 2025-27 Biennial Operations Plan and recommended research grant proposals one and two and the tier two level with verbal support for proposals three and four without funding at this time.  

FORESTRY

SB 1051, which transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation had a Work Session June 11 in the Senate Rules Committee where -4 amendment was adopted and the bill has moved the the Senate floor for a vote.  

GOVERNANCE

HB 3569 , a bill that would require a Chief Sponsor (legislator) of a bill to be a part of a rules advisory committee (RAC) for legislation they had a hand in passing, passed the House. The League provided testimony with our concerns and opposition to the bill.  The bill passed Senate Rules on June 5 and now goes to the Senate floor for a vote.  The League continues to have discussions with Legislative Leadership and the Governor’s office on these RACs bills, explaining our concerns. 

We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692, a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures.  The League joined others in sharing concerns about this bill to members of House Rules.  It was pulled from the scheduled work session on May 28th. 

The League continues to follow the bills listed on the March 17 agenda of the Senate Committee On Rules since some of the bills relate to the process of rulemaking (SB 437, SB 1006, SB 370, SB 483)  and SB 411, SB 895 also in Senate Rules. 

HB 2454 passed House Rules with the -1 amendment and was sent to Ways and Means. The bill creates a new Audits Officer (with possible additional staff).  The Jt. Audits Committee would hire the Officer.  From Leader Bowman’s office: “HB 2454 changes the statutory authority related to audits and audit reviews from the Legislative Fiscal Office to the Legislative Audit Officer (LAO) and authorizes the LAO to hire necessary staff to carry out assigned functions. The LAO and his/her staff will be housed under the new Legislative Performance Oversight and Government Accountability Office. The bill does substitute LFO for the LAO on a number of responsibilities.  LFO will continue fiscal analyses and other duties, while audits and oversight will be housed under the LAO.”

We are concerned with HB 3382, since the requirements of the Secretary of State to gather ALL the state agencies’ rulemaking, including all materials would be overwhelming. Individual state agencies provide that information on their rulemaking websites.  A work session was held May 28 where the -2 amendment was adopted to delay the web work and the bill sent to Ways and Means. 

Separately, the League was invited to a conversation among state agency rules staff on addressing concerns of the Governor and in an attempt to standardize the process statewide.  The Governor has provided Rulemaking Guidance to state agencies:

This document includes questions received from agencies since the Governor’s letter. This document includes additional resources for agencies including direction to post updates to the Transparency site, a website template that agencies can use (if they choose) to develop their pages, and links to other comprehensive agency rule making sites to review.   There is a broader discussion to increase transparency and consistency in the state agencies’ rulemaking process. A second meeting related to the state agency rules process is set for June with an invitation to the League to continue to participate.

See also the Governance section of this Legislative Report.

LAND USE & HOUSING

By Sandra U. Bishop/Peggy Lynch

HB 2138, the Governor’s follow up on a  middle housing bill had a work session along with the Housing agency’s budget bill on June 10 and passed Full Ways and Means Committee on June 13. LFO Recommendation  The League engaged on elements of this bill over the summer but chose to stay silent due to some of the provisions in the bill.  

HB 2258, a bill that authorizes the Land Conservation and Development Commission to adopt rules requiring local governments to approve certain land use applications for residential developments using building plans preapproved by the Department of Consumer and Business Services passed Full Ways and Means on June 13.  LFO Recommendation 

The League provided testimony in support of HB 3939, a bill that provides a list of infrastructure projects to fund for smaller Oregon cities so they can build more housing. We have also supported  HB 3031 A (already sitting in Ways and Means) but know there might be limited dollars this session so called out that link in our letter.   The -1 amendment to HB 3939 was adopted and the bill moved to Ways and Means. 

HB 2316:  Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing.  HB 2316 -4 frees up approximately 3,500 acres of state land which can now be used for housing production, all within the urban growth boundaries.  The A6 amendment was adopted and the bill sent to Ways and Means.

The Land Conservation and Development Commission will meet June 26-27 in Salem.  Guest presenters include Oregon Water Resources Director Ivan Gall, and Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) Coordinator Crystal Grinnell, who will provide updates on the 2025 Draft IWRS before its scheduled adoption by the Water Resources Commission this fall.  agenda 

See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report.

STATE LAND BOARD (SLB)

The SLB met June 10, but did NOT appoint a new Director.  They have scheduled an executive meeting on June 16 to interview the two finalists and then will call a special meeting to appoint the new Director.

TRANSPORTATION

HB 2025 is the comprehensive Transportation ReInvestment Package (TRIP) which is being worked in a new committee: Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment. The League signed on to a letter in support of increased transit funding. Rep. McLain, Co-Chair, said she would share information by the first of the coming week. Written testimony was taken thru Saturday. You can listen to the hearings from last week:  Informational meeting on House Bill 2025

• Public hearing on ODOT Accountability and Anchor Projects

• Public hearing on Transit, Active Transportation, and Rail

• Public hearing on Maintenance, Operations, and Safety

Republican legislators have proposed House Bill 3982 a no-new-taxes alternative that prioritizes real infrastructure needs without increasing costs for families.  It will be interesting to see if any portion of this bill is included in amendments to HB 2025 in order to pass a final bill with bipartisan support.  The House bill doesn’t include alternative transportation elements. 

The proposed 2025 Transportation Plan, if not agreed upon by the legislature in a truly bipartisan manner, is expected to be taken to the voters by a new political action committee “No Gas Hikes’ per this OPB article. “Bills passed by Oregon lawmakers can be referred to voters if organizers collect enough valid signatures within 90 days of the Legislature adjourning. This year, a referral would require at least 78,115 signatures, equal to 4% of the people who cast a ballot in the 2022 gubernatorial election.”

WATER

By Peggy Lynch

From Rep. Ken Helm: The beta version of the pilot portal for the Oregon Water Data Portal is live and ready for testing. The pilot portal is accessible at https://www.oregonwaterdata.org/. This project is about improving access to data and information to help users make water and water infrastructure decisions and was funded by the Legislature in 2021 and 2023. The concept of a water data portal was initially described in the implementation portion of Oregon’s 2017 Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) and Oregon’s 100-year Water Vision.  The League has supported funding of the Portal and and engaged in the IWRS and Water Vision.

This Oregon water data pilot portal was developed through a collaboration with multiple Oregon agencies, Oregon State University, and the Internet of Water Coalition based on the experience and knowledge of this group as well as the input and questions the team has received through various engagements. The objective of this initial pilot portal is to test functionality using limited data and will evolve over the next six months as data are added and improvements are made based on user feedback. The team will continue to build their understanding about user needs and experiences through this pilot portal phase. Users can provide feedback about the beta version of the pilot portal by completing a survey or emailing OWDP@deq.oregon.gov. Changes to the pilot portal will be made intermittently from input received during the beta testing until June 2025, as resources allow. 

HB 2169 had a work session on June 3 in the Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee.  LFO Recommendation The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish and lead . an interagency water reuse team to encourage and expand water reuse in Oregon. Full Ways and Means passed the bill on June 6 so it now goes to both chambers for a vote. 

HB 2947  also had a work session on June 3. “Directs the Oregon State University Extension Service and the College of Agricultural Sciences of Oregon State University to study the distribution and occurrence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in biosolids applied to agricultural fields that do not produce crops intended for human consumption.” LFO Recommendation. Full Ways and Means passed the bill on June 6 so it now goes to both chambers for a vote. 

HB 3806, a bill that authorizes the Oregon Water Resources Commission to approve a Deschutes River water bank pilot program if the charter is approved by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and adheres to all requirements. It sunsets the pilot program on January 2, 2034, had a work session in Jt. Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources on May 29th.  It was noted that funding for this pilot will be provided by the Deschutes River Conservancy.  The bill passed and was sent to Full Ways and Means where it passed on June 6 and now goes to both chambers for a vote.

LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427, a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. The bill sits in Senate Rules. SB 1153, an alternate bill provided with help from the Governor’s office had a work session April 8 where the bill was sent to Senate Rules.  A work session was held June 9 on SB 1153 where the -10 amendment was adopted and the bill passed on a party line vote 3/2. 

Water Right Process Improvements (HB 3342).  A - 4 amendment was adopted and the bill is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

Harney Basin Groundwater Management (HB 3800). A work session was held and the bill was sent to House Rules without recommendation as to passage. 

Water Rights and Public Interest (HB 3501) A work session was held and the bill was referred to House Rules without recommendation as to passage on a 6 to 3 vote.

HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing.  The League submitted  testimony in support. House Rules had a public hearing April 30.  A work session scheduled for May 12 has been cancelled.  A number of amendments have been offered.  The controversy seems to be around timelines for testing—how often—and what exactly gets tested.  The League hopes to see this bill move forward, even if there are constraints.  It would be a beginning and a recognition that water needs to be safe for everyone-homeowners and renters.

League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor, a map that is updated every Thursday. An Abnormally Dry designation has increased  in NE and NW Oregon and now we also see our first level of Drought (Moderate) in some of those areas (over 8% of Oregon is in moderate drought (D1) and over 35% is abnormally dry (D0)). Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon and a long range climate prediction. 

We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms (HABs). “When in doubt, stay out.”  Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. Information on current advisories can be found on the OHA’s cyanobacteria bloom webpage at healthoregon.org/hab. The OHA has an online photo gallery to help community members identify signs of potentially harmful blooms. 

WILDFIRE

By Carolyn Mayers

“The tick of the clock is really loud right now,” Sen. Jeff Golden, an Ashland Democrat and staunch advocate for fire funding, said last week.

That quote from this Oregon Live article sums up perfectly the current landscape for wildfire funding at the Oregon Legislature. In the face of uncertainties around staffing as the result of cuts to some of federal agencies, and a looming session’s end with no clear funding solution in sight, there is a real sense of dread around the wildfire community. The federal situation is outlined in this OPB article.

Adding to the growing pessimism is the recent forecast from the weather folks at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) that this fire season will likely be a very challenging one, with the entire state as well as the entire Northwest region expected to be a high risk for large wildfires by August 1. This is a month earlier than usual, and that prediction comes when the aforementioned federal cuts are delaying the process of getting all the personnel ready for the season - a season that is already underway. As of Thursday, June 12, ODF’s dashboard showed there were 36 wildfires burning in the state, with 3 classified as “large” and one already requiring the Governor to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act. In that fire, the Rowena fire between the Dalles and Mosier, there have been over 40 homes burned. Details from the Oregon Department of the fire Marshal may be found here. 

One fact that amplifies these fears of personnel shortages for the upcoming season is the fact announced by ODF recently that 1,600 “red-carded” federal employees, meaning they are fire-qualified and mobilized to handle incident management and some fire suppression duties when resources are strained, will not be fielded this season. When last season was, at one point an all hands on deck situation with ZERO personnel available to send to new fires, that 1,600 fewer  fire fighters seems ominous.

There has been very little movement with bills related to wildfire in the past week. Tangentially related to wildfire is SB 1051, which would transfer the power to appoint the State Forester to the Governor from the Board of Forestry. A Work Session on this bill was held on June 11 before the Senate Rule Committee at which the -4 amendment was approved and the bill was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.

SB 83, which would repeal the State Wildfire Hazard Map and accompanying statues related to it, remains in House Rules where it has been since May 20.  It seems that the bill is now being used as trade bait to find funding for wildfire according to a news release from Sen. David Brock Smith.  Speaker Fahey responded by arguing that if lawmakers are going to repeal requirements for how Oregonians in high-risk areas must harden their home against wildfire, then she wants to see dedicated funding to support alternative fire prevention efforts. “It’s not about holding anything hostage. It’s about holding ourselves accountable to delivering that funding mechanism,” she said. “You can’t take something away without a plan for what’s replacing it.” saying that, repealing the map without a plan to provide funding for these lands is irresponsible.  

SB 75 A, removes the wildfire hazard map as a guide for allowing ADUs and requiring higher building codes in rural areas is also still in House Rules where it was sent May 22nd . It is likely to stay there while negotiations continue on wildfire funding.   

Here is a short report on status of the bills mentioned last week:

The Omnibus wildfire funding bill, HB 3940A, had a robust Public Hearing before the House Committee on Revenue on May 1. Legislative Revenue staff provided a table to help understand the various elements of the bill.  Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office have stated the minimum annual need for wildfire funding to address the growing wildfire crisis is around $280 million. The bill has a provision related to increasing the bottle deposit to help pay for wildfire funding. This provision was widely opposed, but another concept has been floated where the unclaimed deposits (now used to help pay for the collection system) would be instead used for wildfire funding. This bill is still part of the wildfire funding conversation.  

SB 1177 is still before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. It had a public hearing on April 7. This bill would establish the Oregon Wildfire Mitigation and Adaptation Fund and redirect the “kicker” to it, one- time, for financing wildfire related expenses, by using the interest earned. A 5% return would yield approximately $170-180 million per year, or just over half of the aforementioned projected ongoing costs to fund wildfire mitigation and suppression. (The Governor has expressed interest in using only the amount of kicker that would go to large income earners for wildfire costs.)  SJR 11 also remains before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue after its April 7 public hearing. It would dedicate a fixed, to-be-determined percentage of net proceeds of the State Lottery to a wildfire fund created by the Legislature. Its passage would mean an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, which would have to go to the voters for approval.

Finally, HB 3489, which imposes a severance tax on owners of timber harvested from public or private forestland, had a Public Hearing April 24 before the House Committee on Revenue. The League has supported a severance tax in past sessions and provided testimony at the hearing. Rep. E. Werner Reschke has suggested using the interest generated by Oregon’s Rainy Day Fund savings account to pay for wildfire. For the 2025-27 session, that interest is around $160 million – which gets lawmakers more than halfway to the $280 M target.  He has also suggested pulling more money out of the body of the Rainy Day Fund itself to cover the other half, though doing so would be complicated.  However, the Governor and others have insisted on “new money” for wildfire funding rather than using “current money”. Speaker Fahey has said she expects the House Revenue Committee to unveil a plan to fund wildfire soon.

SB 454 A requires the Department of the State Fire Marshal to create an advisory committee to advise the department on funding options for rural fire protection districts (RFPDs), instructs the committee to develop funding recommendations based on the review and  report to the Legislature by December 31, 2026. The House Revenue Committee will have a public hearing on June 16.  

The League is also still following other non-funding related bills, such as SB 926, which would prohibit the recovery of certain costs and expenses from customers that an electric company incurs as a result of allegations of a wildfire resulting from the negligence or fault on the part of the electric company. It was passed by the Senate. The House Committee on Judiciary adopted the A 10 amendment and the Speaker sent the bill to Ways and Means. HB 3666 remains in the Rules Committee. This bill would establish wildfire mitigation actions and an accompanying certification for electric utilities in an attempt to standardize their approach.

Because our Rural Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) are seeing a huge increase in their fire fees, Rep. Owens has offered the following: “I introduced HB 3349 and HB 3350 to ensure our RFPAs have access to the tools they need. These bills propose establishing a dedicated funding stream to help RFPAs obtain gear from the Oregon Department of Forestry and better access federal resources. Importantly, this support does not change their volunteer status but simply gives them the resources to be more effective and safe while serving our communities.” HB 3349 had an A-2 amendment and  an LFO Recommendation of $1 million placed in a new Rangeland Protection Association Fund in Joint Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 11. The amended bill passed the Subcommittee to Full Ways and Means

Volunteers Needed 

What is your passion related to Natural Resources?  You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com. Training will be offered.

Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency, Revenue, Governance, and Social Policy report sections.