From laura.buhl at state.or.us Fri Feb 17 18:29:03 2017 From: laura.buhl at state.or.us (Buhl, Laura) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2017 02:29:03 +0000 Subject: [LandUse-News] Land Use News for February 17, 2017 Message-ID: Welcome to this week's roundup of the Land Use News! The Land Use News is an electronic news clipping service provided by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). Land Use News emphasizes local reporting and commentary on land use in Oregon and other states. The links to copyrighted news stories in Land Use News are not archived by DLCD, and the archiving policies of these sources vary. The stories, if available, reside on the site of the original news source. Please direct requests for archived stories, or permission to reprint them, to the original news source. Past Land Use News weekly e-mails may be found here: http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/landuse-news Anyone may subscribe, unsubscribe, or change their subscription to the free service by visiting this site: http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/landuse-news. ________________________________ Bill Considers Moving Oregon Public Land to State Control Statesman Journal (Salem) Four Republican lawmakers want to study the idea of transferring Oregon's federal public lands to state control. House Bill 2365 would create a task force to analyze the benefit and cost of an idea that has become a political lightning rod both nationally and locally. Central Oregon Rep Drops Support For Land Transfer Bill The Bulletin (Bend) - Rep. Whisnant withdraws sponsorship for house bill on federal land transfer - A Central Oregon legislator withdrew his sponsorship of a controversial bill, one that critics say represents a first step toward selling public land. Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, was a chief sponsor of House Bill 2365, which establishes a task force that would study the feasibility of transferring federally managed land to the state of Oregon. On Thursday, Whisnant defended his support for the bill, but announced he will no longer be sponsoring it, citing a flurry of emails and calls from concerned citizens and conservation organizations. Outdoor Rec Industry Defends Public Lands High Country News (Paonia, CO) - Utah's delegation tries to roll back protections, riling a conservation-minded outdoors cohort - While the Bundy family's exploits in Nevada and Oregon have drawn new attention recently as trials proceed, the Sagebrush Rebellion has been advancing steadily on another front in Utah. Over the past few years, the state's congressional representatives have spent over $500,000 studying the viability of transferring federal lands to state control, promoted a $14 million lawsuit to try to force transfer, and introduced a slew of bills to gut federal oversight and protections of public lands. Now, a battle is brewing between two of the state's most powerful forces: its conservative political leadership, which harbors a century-old distrust of federal land agencies, and its massive outdoor recreation industry, which depends on those same public lands for its survival. State Land Board Inches Forward With Sale of the Elliott State Forest The World (Coos Bay) The sale of the 82,500-acre Elliott State Forest became more of a reality after Tuesday's State Land Board meeting. In a 2-1 decision, recently-elected state Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State Dennis Richardson voted against Gov. Kate Brown to move forward with the sale of the state forestland to Roseburg-based Lone Rock Timber Company and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. However, the decision won't be finalized until the board's April meeting. The Elliott State Forest Sale Oregon Secretary of State On February 14, the sale of the Elliott State Forest (The Elliott) was again the hot topic before the State Land Board. The sale was first proposed more than a year and a half ago by Governor Kate Brown and the other members of the previous Land Board, former Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins and former State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, as the Board worked to ensure the Common School Fund (CSF) received adequate funding to hire more teachers, reduce class sizes, and add back school days. Counties Sue to Overturn Monument Expansion Herald and News (Klamath Falls) The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) has sued the federal government to overturn a presidential proclamation that expanded the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., the suit claims former President Barack Obama did not have the authority to include roughly 48,000 acres of designated timberland in the expansion, which affected land in Klamath and Jackson counties in Oregon, and Siskiyou County in California. Schrader Introduces Bill to Preserve Molalla River Portland Tribune Congressman Kurt Schrader, a longtime advocate for the Molalla River, reintroduced HR 1056, the Molalla River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which would designate a 21-mile stretch of the Molalla River as "recreational" under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Receiving the wild and scenic designation has shown to provide a positive economic, social and cultural boost to the surrounding area. Proposed Measure Aims to Zero Out Traffic Fatalities in Oregon Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon lawmakers are considering a measure that would push the state toward adopting a traffic safety program with the goal of eventually zeroing out all traffic fatalities. . . . The bill would create a task force to examine the state's traffic safety strategies. An ODOT administrator testified that the task force may duplicate work already being undertaken by the agency. It's a big week for Vision Zero: Here's Why bikeportland.org Portland and the State of Oregon are both coming off a terrible year when it comes to traffic safety. 492 people died while using Oregon roads in 2016. That's a 10 percent increase over the 2015 total and a whopping 57 percent jump from 2013 . . . This week there are four events that show how activists, a nonprofit organization, the State of Oregon, and lawmakers are responding to this urgent issue. Washington Lawmakers Seek New Routes to Cross Columbia River Jefferson Public Radio (Ashland) On Thursday, The Columbian first reported seven southwest Washington legislators introduced bills in the House and Senate that would designate the replacement of the I-5 bridge a project of "statewide significance." By Saturday, a separate group of Republican lawmakers from the area co-hosted a transportation solutions town hall where they introduced the public to another potential legislative solution to the Columbia River Crossing problem - House Bill 1222. Dam Experts Say Maintenance, Oversight Stretched Nationwide Oregon Public Broadcasting Northwest residents are surrounded by thousands of dams, some in a state of disrepair. And now the emergency at California's Oroville Dam has sharpened interest in dam safety. . . . In Oregon, there are 15,000 dams. The state watches over 900. Right now, the state has seven dams on its "unsatisfactory" list. Every year Oregon engineers visit 75 high-hazard dams - dams with large populations downstream. They visit the rest of the lower-hazard dams once every two-to-three years. Cracks in the System: Oroville Crisis Highlights Risky Dams, Spotty Inspections Around U.S. The Desert Sun (Palm Springs) For five years, the 10,000 residents of Newport, Oregon, have known the reservoir that stores their drinking water is unsafe. The city built two dams on the Big Creek River in 1951 and 1969, long before Oregonians knew about the high risk of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Now the city is racing to perform expensive repairs on the dams. If they fail, flooding could wipe out much of the town and leave residents without a drinking water source. Madras Expansion Brings Truck Facility Into City Limits The Bulletin (Bend) - City councilors approved 609-acre expansion and rezoning at Tuesday meeting - Madras aims to expand its urban growth boundary by several hundred acres in order to bring more of its municipal airport and a new $18 million Daimler Trucks North America testing facility into the city limits. Madras city councilors at their meeting Tuesday voted to expand the urban growth boundary by 609 acres. The boundary change, which still requires state approval, encompasses 414 acres at the Madras Airport, as well as the future 195-acre site of Daimler's new research and development facility, which is scheduled to open in May and is adjacent to the airport. Farm Loops Aim to Lure 'Agritourism' Dollars East Oregonian (Pendleton) - The Eastern Oregon Visitors Association is developing two new farm loops in Umatilla and Morrow counties - Two new farm loops are in the works for Umatilla and Morrow counties, featuring everything from local wine and cheese to handmade saddles and antique tractors. Designed as self-guided driving tours, one loop will run between Pendleton and Milton-Freewater while the other will encompass Hermiston, Boardman, Irrigon, Echo and Heppner. . . . Agritourism can include visits to working farms and ranches, U-pick fields, wineries, breweries and farmers markets. Dodson said more people are interested in knowing where their food comes from, which has opened the door for farms to share their stories and potentially generate a new source of revenue. Jordan Cove LNG Approval For Pre-Filing Granted The World (Coos Bay) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Jordan Cove LNG's pre-filing application on Friday, clearing the way for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project to move through the federal permitting process. The proposed multi-billion dollar project also includes the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline that will run northwest from Malin to the Jordan Cove LNG facility at the Port of Coos Bay, according to a press release from Veresen, the Calgary-based energy company proposing the project. Jordan Cove LNG Updates Chamber Amid Protest The News-Review (Roseburg) About 100 protesters greeted members of the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce as they made their way to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Monday for their monthly membership meeting and to hear an update on the Pacific Connector Gas pipeline project. . . . After denying the project twice in the past year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted Jordan Cove's pre-filing application last Friday, meaning the commission will conduct an informal review of the proposal over the next six months until the developers file their formal application. About Time For Real Local Determination [Op/Ed] The World (Coos Bay) Oregon state Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) has introduced House Bill 2480 to literally take power away from the people of Oregon. Introduced on behalf of a corporate lobbying firm and despite President Trump's inaugural promise to give the power back to the people, HB 2480 would use state preemption to strip communities of their fundamental right to protect themselves from non-sustainable energy infrastructure: "A city, county or other local government may not enact any charter provision, ordinance, resolution or other provision related to regulating the expansion of infrastructure for the primary purpose of transporting or storing fossil fuels." Oregon Lawmaker Wants to Put Fossil-Fuel Infrastructure to "Climate Test" Portland Business Journal Proposed fossil-fuel infrastructure projects - a hot topic in Oregon- would face added scrutiny under a bill proposed in the Legislature. Senate Bill 773, introduced last week by Sen. Lee Beyer, a Springfield Democrat, would require the state's Department of Energy to develop a "climate test" that state permitting agencies would use in evaluating proposed projects. Oregon DEQ Says Cap and Trade Could Reduce Carbon Emissions at Lower Costs Oregon Public Broadcasting Reducing carbon emissions in Oregon could be achieved through an approach known as cap and trade with little impact on the state's overall economy, according to a study by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Under a cap and trade program the state puts a cap on total greenhouse gas emissions ranging from smokestacks to tailpipes. It then auctions off a certain number of allowances to emit those gases. Businesses can then buy them and sell or trade with other business who might pay a higher price. Ultimately, this is designed to force carbon reductions where they are cheapest, rather than uniformly across all sources. Climate Change Panel Urges Delay in Oregon Forest Policy Decisions Portland Tribune - Oregon's forest store the equivalent of about 9.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide - Activists often urge a speedier government response to climate change, but the Oregon Global Warming Commission doesn't want to rush any decisions involving forest policy. Angus Duncan, the commission's chair, recently told Oregon lawmakers it's better to wait until it's better understood how forest management can offset carbon emissions, which are blamed for climate change. New Timeline for Revised Blue Mountains Forest Plan East Oregonian (Pendleton) - The U.S. Forest Service is working toward a final environmental impact statement for the revised Blue Mountains Forest Plan - It may be 12 years overdue, but the U.S. Forest Service is inching closer to revising the outmoded Blue Mountains Forest Plan. A final environmental impact statement, or EIS, may be ready by the end of June . . . the Forest Service has crafted two new plan alternatives based on a year's worth of feedback from local communities and stakeholders. When completed, the Blue Mountains Forest Plan will form the backbone for land management on the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur national forests. Petitioners Oppose Wildwood Development Portland Tribune An online petition shows more than 500 citizens want to keep overnighters out of a day-use nature reserve in the foothills of Mount Hood. Federal foresters say the petition will count as one public comment. . . . Government planners envision hook-ups for two dozen RVs at the Wildwood Recreation Site, as well as flat land for 11 rentable log cabins, seven yurts and four double-sized yurts. The BLM reports campers and tourists will flip the park's balance book - the park currently operates at a $600,000 yearly deficit - and boost annual foot traffic from 50,000 to 100,000. . . . But neighbors, who lack a community park of their own, like Wildwood the way it is. Oregon Plans a Five-Year Project to Wipe Out a Japanese Beetle Infestation Capital Press (Salem) - The state ag department hopes for cooperation from homeowners in a 1,000-acre area, who will have to allow annual treatments for five years - The Oregon Department of Agriculture is holding a pair of meetings in March to talk about its proposed five-year plan to knock out an infestation of Japanese beetles on about 1,000 acres in the Bethany and Cedar Mills areas of Washington County. The project would include spreading insecticide granules on lawns and ornamental planting beds for five consecutive years at approximately 2,500 private residences. New Website Features Data on Oregon's Forests [Press Release] PR Newswire A new website from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute offers the latest data about Oregon's forests and forest-based economy, on a mobile-friendly platform. OregonForestFacts.org serves as a detailed reference guide to Oregon's forest sector. It features data from the newly updated OFRI publication Oregon Forest Facts 2017-18 Edition, including maps, graphs and statistics about forestland ownership, timber harvest, forest-based employment and wood products production. Affordable Housing Challenges Bend The Bulletin (Bend) - The search for solutions draws hundreds to hear a panel of experts - Figuring out ways to solve Bend's affordable housing crisis drew hundreds of people to Riverhouse on the Deschutes in Bend on Thursday, where the City Club of Central Oregon invited local experts to weigh in on the problem. Right now, just more than 1,700 units of affordable housing are available for thousands of people living in poverty throughout the region. Meanwhile, developers are faced with the challenges that come with paying for housing projects that are sold or rented for less than what it cost to build them. 'Modular' One-Person Homes Fill a Need in Vancouver The Tyee (Vancouver, BC) The City of Vancouver has unveiled yet another tool in its efforts to end homelessness and increase affordable housing options: modular housing. Yesterday afternoon, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, federal minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and Vancouver Affordable Housing Association's interim CEO Luke Harrison were onsite to officially open 220 Terminal Ave, a three-storey, 40-unit temporary housing building renting at the $375 income assistance shelter rate. Laura Buhl, AICP, CNU-A | Land Use & Transportation Planner Planning Services Division | Transportation & Growth Management Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development 635 Capitol Street NE, Suite 150 | Salem, OR 97301-2540 Direct: (503) 934-0073 | Main: (503) 373-0050 laura.buhl at state.or.us | www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: