REGION
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A3
Oregon groups sign lett er supporting River Democracy Act
represent a wide variety
of interests, purposes, and
people across the state, we
all have at least one thing in
common — a love of Ore-
gon’s rivers,” stated a por-
tion of the letter. “They pro-
vide us with clean drinking
water, our favorite swim-
ming holes, and places to
take our families fi shing
and boating.”
The designations would
add 4,684 miles to the Wild
and Scenic River system
in Oregon, including 135
miles in Union County.
The next step for
the act is a vote by the
Senate Energy and Nat-
ural Resources Committee,
which is chaired by West
Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin,
By MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
BEND — A plan to pro-
tect thousands of miles
of rivers and streams in
Oregon received renewed
attention last week when
dozens of organiza-
tions banded together to
encourage politicians to
speed up the passage of the
bill.
Seventy-fi ve organiza-
tions across the state sent a
joint letter to Oregon Dem-
ocratic Sens. Ron Wyden
and Jeff Merkley urging
them to pass the River
Democracy Act. The letter
is signed mainly by con-
servation groups and out-
door sporting and fi shing
organizations.
If passed, the bill would
add nearly 4,700 miles
of rivers and streams in
Oregon to the Wild and
Scenic Rivers System.
The federal designation,
created in 1968, protects
rivers and develops them
for tourism, just as national
parks and national forests
protect designated areas of
land. Rivers can be listed as
having wild, scenic or rec-
reational value.
Wyden and Merkley
introduced the River
Democracy Act, Senate
Bill 192, in February 2021.
More than 15,000 streams
and rivers were nominated
by Oregonians for inclu-
sion in the act after Wyden
called on state residents to
suggest their favorite water-
ways in 2019.
But the bill has its
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a Democrat.
Wyden told The Bulletin
that public lands bills tend
to get a close look at the end
of the year, and he is pre-
paring to have it voted on in
the Senate by that time. His
offi ce is in communication
with Manchin specifi cally
to seek the necessary votes
to get the bill passed.
“In terms of public
lands, we’re going to fairly
soon have some mark-ups,
where the legislation is
formally considered and
pulling out all the stops for
it,” said Wyden. “We are
getting all the small busi-
nesses from rural Oregon
behind it and we are pleased
about the coalition coming
together.”
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Land surrounding Northeastern Oregon’s Imnaha River would be aff ected if the waterway is designated
as “wild and scenic” under the proposed River Democracy Act.
detractors too.
In January, U.S. Rep.
Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario,
spoke out against the act
on the fl oor of the U.S.
House of Representatives,
declaring that it will create
a wildfi re risk in Oregon’s
watersheds. Bentz argued
that the act puts forests at
risk because it allows pre-
scribed burns without
conducting thinning
operations.
The American Forest
Resources Council, which
represents logging interests,
is among the groups that
defend Bentz’s position.
“We continue to oppose
the River Democracy Act
because it will increase the
risk of severe wildfi res,
threaten our communi-
ties, impede public access,
and impact multiple uses
of public lands,” said Nick
Smith, the council’s public
aff airs director. “Cata-
strophic wildfi res including
subsequent erosion and sed-
imentation pose the greatest
threat to watersheds and
rivers, and water quantity
and quality.”
Smith said more man-
agement of federal lands
will help reduce wildfi re.
“Rather than imposing
more arbitrary designations
and restrictions on federal
lands, Oregon’s federal rep-
resentatives should focus
on giving public lands man-
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tools to proactively reduce
wildfi re risks, maintain
access, and protect our for-
ests, rivers, and communi-
ties,” said Smith.
Wyden’s offi ce has
pushed back against the
argument that forests will
be at a greater risk for fi re,
stating that the bill requires
agencies to implement a fi re
risk-reduction plan across a
half-mile corridor on either
side of a river or stream.
The letter sent last week
was supported by river-
keeper groups, guiding
associations, watershed
councils and paddling
clubs, among others.
“Although our groups
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