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STATE 6A — THE OBSERVER TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021 State, local governments in Oregon receive $4.3 billion from feds By HILLARY BORRUD The Oregonian/OregonLive SALEM — Oregon cities and counties and the state government are set to receive a combined $4.3 billion from the $1.9 trillion aid package Congress passed earlier this month. The largest chunk, $2.6 billion, will go to the state to spend on Oregon’s response to the pandemic or other uses. Budget analysts are working to pin down the level of fl exibility the state has to spend the funds. Oregon will also receive $155 million for the state government to spend on capital projects, and county, city and other local gov- ernments are slated to receive a total of $1.5 bil- lion, according to infor- mation from U.S. Senate Democrats. That is on top of the $1.1 billion the federal relief law will send to Oregon schools. Spending options As for how the state gov- ernment could spend its share, a spokesperson for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the options include paying for the government’s response to the pandemic and providing premium pay to essential workers. “Off setting lost revenues to provide essential govern- ment services” is another option, Hank Stern wrote in an email, as is paying for water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. Oregon’s tax revenues have continued to exceed economists’ expectations during the pandemic and ensuing recession, so much so that they are on track to trigger the state’s one-of- a-kind “kicker” tax rebate, which would send some of the windfall back to tax- payers as credits when they fi le taxes in 2022. Economists and state budget analysts have pre- dicted a more challenging fi scal picture for the 2021-23 biennium, which begins July 1. Lawmakers must pass that budget by the end of June. Even before the Legisla- ture approved $800 million in additional spending in a December special session, analysts expected state rev- enues would be approxi- mately $800 million short of what would be needed to maintain the current level of services. Staff at the Legislative Fiscal Offi ce expect the cost of providing a status quo level of ser- vices to rise from $24 bil- lion in the current two-year budget, to $25.6 million in 2021-23. As improving revenue forecasts erase some of the state’s anticipated shortfall, that could leave more of the federal aid up-for-grabs as lawmakers draft the next budget. Interim Legisla- tive Fiscal Offi cer Laurie Byerly said states are still waiting for guidance from the Department of Treasury so it is unclear the degree of fl exibility the state will have to spend the funds. Oregon governments also received $1.8 billion for a variety of specifi c uses, including to distribute for rental assistance and $499 million for schools, through Congress’ December relief bill and $2.45 billion from the CARES Act earlier in 2020. Unlike the cash pay- ments that can land in people’s bank accounts fairly quickly, federal aid that fl ows to governments can take months to make its way to specifi c pro- grams or recipients. Oregon lawmakers consider new approach to cutt ing wildfi re risk By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — Oregon would emphasize reducing fuels in high-risk forests near communities and key environmental resources as part of broader legislation aimed at mitigating wildfi re hazards. A crucial aspect of the proposal involves steering forest treatments toward where they’re most needed, regardless of property ownership. “We are taking an all- lands approach here,” said Dylan Kruse, government aff airs director for the Sus- tainable Northwest nonprofi t organization. “Immediately, we’re going where there’s the most urgent need.” Though the Oregon Department of Forestry would take charge of the planning and implemen- tation, the agency would rely on help from Oregon State University and other entities. The targeted approach would likewise rely on state money while “leveraging” funds from the federal government. At its core, the legisla- tion is aimed at selecting where and how to conduct forest projects that would be most eff ective, Kruse said. “We know we can’t treat all the forest acreage we want to in this state, so we have to narrow down and prioritize where we get the best return on investment,” Kruse said during a recent legislative hearing. The U.S. Forest Service has developed a “quanti- tative wildfi re risk assess- ment” that indicates about 5.6 million acres in Oregon need fuels treatments, he said. Under the legislation, projects would begin in the four highest risk cate- gories, with an eye toward protecting human life, property and critical infra- structure, as well as water- shed health and habitat restoration. For projects to be under- taken on federal lands, they would have to undergo analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and exclude roadless areas, riparian reserves and other sensitive sites. The ODF already engages in “shared steward- ship” projects with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies, so the proposed legislation would accel- erate this approach, said Jeff Burns, the department’s partnership and planning director. In February, the agency requested collab- orative project proposals from across the state and received 93 applica- tions for roughly $20 mil- lion, he said. The ODF is funding 37 of those pro- posals with $4 million from the state’s emergency board — enough to treat 7,000 acres — but has another 56 “shelf-ready” projects as a result. Under the most recent version of Senate Bill 248, one of the bills being con- sidered, ODF would receive $20 million to implement new projects in the 2021- 2023 biennium. The current proposal would serve as a type of “pilot project” that lays the groundwork for future treatments and partner- ships, said Kruse. Of the 5.6 million acres identifi ed as requiring man- agement by the Forest Ser- vice, about 65% are on fed- eral lands, 25% are owned by small woodland owners, 6% belong to state, local and tribal governments, and only 4% are on indus- trial timber properties, said Kyle Williams, forest pro- duction director for the Oregon Forest & Industries Council, a timber group. “Our federal lands are struggling. They’re over- stocked, overgrown and underutilized,” Williams said. Reducing wildfi re danger is just one compo- nent of the broader leg- islation under review by lawmakers, who also plan to address transmission system plans, defensible residential spaces, smoke monitoring, emergency response and other factors. Offi cials: A dam in Oregon could fail in a large earthquake By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that a large earthquake — which is expected to occur again in the Pacifi c Northwest sooner or later — could cause the spillway gates of a dam in Oregon to buckle, resulting “in a potentially catastrophic fl ood.” The Corps recently announced it will try to minimize the danger by reducing the maximum height of the lake by fi ve feet starting in April. Hun- dreds of thousands of people, including those in the state capital, live down- stream from the Detroit Dam, whose construc- tion in the 1950s created the narrow, nine-mile long Detroit Lake. The move comes as Oregon and the wider Pacifi c Northwest are coming to grips with “the big one” that experts say is coming. Earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone, which extends from the ocean off Northern Cal- ifornia to Canada’s Van- couver Island, have an average magnitude of Andrew Selsky/Associated Press, File Lawmakers convene at the Oregon Senate in Salem on June 20, 2019. Republican boycotts of Oregon’s Legis- lature have become so frequent that Democrats want to sanction boycotters with $500 daily fi nes and even disqualify them from holding offi ce. Democrats hold the majority in the state House and Senate. Democrats seek to end GOP boycott s of Legislature This is third year in a row Republicans have used walkouts By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — Walkouts by Republicans in Ore- gon’s Legislature have become so frequent, with GOP lawmakers torpe- doing progressive legisla- tion, that Democrats want to sanction boycotters with $500 daily fi nes and even disqualify them from holding offi ce. The issue has become acrimonious, with Demo- crats saying the boycotts harm the democratic func- tioning of the state. Oregon is particularly vulnerable to boycotts because, while 46 of the other statehouses in America require only a simple majority for a quorum, the northwestern state requires two-thirds of lawmakers to be present. Democrats have most of the seats in the Oregon Legislature, but lack the two-thirds majority to con- duct business if Republi- cans stay away. On Thursday, March 18, the Senate Committee on Rules held an emo- tional public hearing on four measures that seek to deprive Republicans of the leverage from quorum rules that critics say they have weaponized. “I’m looking forward to engaging in a debate about how we can continue to address this fl aw in our democracy,” said Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner, the committee chairman. This is the third straight year in which Republicans have used walkouts. They have also sometimes insisted that bills be read in full, causing bills to stack up after they leave commit- tees, and delaying fl oor votes on them. The Legislature’s 2020 session ended early, and acrimoniously, because of a Republican boycott over a climate change measure. House Speaker Tina Kotek said then that Republi- cans violated their consti- tutional duty of voting on bills, adding: “We have been held hostage by a small group of elected representatives.” The previous year, a GOP senator indicated he’d resist with gunfi re if state troopers were sent to bring him back to the Capitol. This year, Republicans have already been absent from a Senate fl oor ses- sion. GOP lawmakers have also insisted on bills being read in full, leading Kotek to schedule night sessions in the House. The day of this year’s walkout, the Senate Republican caucus asked the governor to immedi- ately reopen schools for full, in-person instruc- tion. Republican Senators had felt their demands for eased COVID-19 restric- tions went unheard. At Thursday’s hearing, held remotely via Zoom because the Capitol is closed to the public, ordi- nary Oregonians got on their computers and phones to vent their anger at GOP lawmakers who boycott. They said they’d be fi red if they missed work. Enjoy Life more, Terry Richard/The Oregonian via AP, File This Aug. 14, 2010, fi le photo shows Kane’s Marina on Detroit Lake Reser- voir in Detroit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined a large earthquake, which is expected to occur again in the Pacifi c Northwest sooner or later, could cause the spillway gates of the dam in Oregon to buckle, resulting “in a potentially catastrophic fl ood.” around 9, making them among the world’s biggest. A quake in that zone has a 37% probability of hap- pening off Oregon’s coast in the next 50 years, according to Chris Goldfi nger, an Oregon State University professor and geologist. Just last week, an earth- quake early warning system was launched in Oregon. Operated by the U.S. Geo- logical Survey, the state joined California in the system that sends alerts to smart phones. Washington state is expected to join the ShakeAlert system, which operates on an array of seismic sensors, in May. Lawmakers are also trying to prepare the state for a major earthquake. In the Oregon Legisla- ture, House Bill 3083 man- dates that contracts for public works must adhere to seismic safety standards and seismic rehabilitation standards in constructing or renovating public buildings or critical infrastructure in earthquake-prone areas. Turning 65, paying too much or want to compare your options? Stress Less at GRANDE Ronde Retirement & Assisted Living An Independent Insurance Agency 1809 Gekeler Ln. La Grande 541-963-4700 PROTECTING our Residents during this Pandemic Get Trusted, Friendly, Expert, Medicare Insurance Help admin@kereed.net Nicole Cathey 10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City 541-975-1364 Toll Free 1-866-282-1925 www.reedinsurance.net Kevin Reed