North Douglas Herald
December 2024
The Oregon Rural Report
Page 11
Governor Uses New Land Use Law to Propose
Rural Land for Semiconductor Facility
Salem, OR — Oregon Gov. Tina
Kotek is using a new land use law to
propose a rural area for a semiconductor
facility, as officials seek to lure more of
the multibillion-dollar semiconductor
industry to the state. Oregon, which
has been a center of semiconductor
research and production for decades,
is competing against other states to
host multibillion-dollar microchip
factories.
The CHIPS and Science
Act passed by Congress in 2022
provided $39 billion for companies
building or expanding facilities that will
manufacture semiconductors and those
that will assemble, test and package
the chips. A state law passed last year
allowed the governor to designate up
to eight sites where city boundaries
could be expanded to provide land for
microchip companies. The law created
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an exemption to the state’s hallmark
land use policy, which was passed in
the 1970s to prevent urban sprawl and
protect nature and agriculture.
A group that supports Oregon’s
landmark land use policy, Friends of
Smart Growth, said in a news release
that it would oppose Kotek’s proposal,
OPB reported.
“While the governor hopes
this will prove a quick and relatively
painless way to subvert the planning
and community engagement that
Oregon’s land use system is famous
for,” the release said, “local and
statewide watchdog groups promise a
long and difficult fight to preserve the
zoning protections that have allowed
walkable cities, farmland close to
cities, and the outdoor recreation
Oregon is famous for.”
Silver Ghost
Under the 2023 state law, Kotek
must hold a public hearing on proposed
expansions of so-called “urban growth
boundaries” and allow a 20-day period
for public comment before issuing an
executive order to formally expand
such boundaries. This executive power
expires at the end of the year.
The public hearing on the proposed
expansion will be held in three weeks at
the Hillsboro Civic Center, according to
Business Oregon, the state’s economic
development agency.
Veterans Corner
Grants available for Veterans and War Memorials
Oregon Heritage of Oregon Parks
and Recreation Department is offering
grants for the construction or restoration
of veterans and war memorials throughout
Oregon. The grant application period is
open now and closes January 31, 2025.
Local and regional governments and
federally recognized Tribes are eligible to
apply for funding for monuments placed on
publicly owned properties. Grants may fund
up to 80 percent of projects and require a 10
percent match from grant recipients.
New monuments should acknowledge
veterans and/or wars not already recognized
in the community. Restoration projects
may address broken monuments, missing
elements, and/or additions to existing
monuments. Proposals must demonstrate
active participation of a veteran organization
and community support. A free online
workshop about the grant program will
be held December 3, 2024; 10-11 a.m. via
Zoom. Registration is required. For more
information about the Veterans and War
Memorials grant and other grant programs,
visit www.oregonheritage.org.
Oregon Vet’s Educational Bridge Grant Eligibility Expanded
For Veterans Pursuing Educational Or Vocational Training
cruising along a northwest course in the outer
Los Angeles harbour.’
‘Howard, do you have time at the
moment to explain for our radio listeners
exactly what you’re doing, the operation?’
‘Yeah,’ said Hughes, ‘We’re taxiing
downwind very slowly to get into position
for a run between the entrance to Long
Beach Harbor and Myrtle Beach and San
Pedro. It’s about a three mile stretch there
and we’re gonna make a high-speed run
in that direction. The wind is changeable
– it’s been changing all day – but it’s not too
serious.
‘Howard, I didn’t hear you,’ said
McNamara, ‘There’s so much noise here.
But did you tell our listeners the speed you
achieved on the last run?’
‘That was right around ninety miles
an hour. We were well up on the step and
the airplane could have lifted off easily if
I’d just pulled back on the control, I’m sure.
But we have so many mechanical devices in
this ship right now that I wanta check a few
of ’em out a little bit before we try anything
like that.’
Hughes then ordered his flight engineer
to ‘lower fifteen degrees of flaps’. This was
actually the take off setting for the giant flying
boat. As he pushed all eight throttle levers
forward, McNamara called out the building
speeds: ‘It’s fifty. It’s fifty over a choppy sea.
It’s fifty-five… More throttle… It’s sixty.
It’s about sixty-five. It’s seventy’. The water
rushed against the hull. As McNamara called
‘Seventy-five’ the noise ceased and then the
Hercules airborne.
The silver behemoth lifted up above
the waves and the crowds on shore began to
cheer. Hughes flew the ship low level for
a little under a mile and a little less than a
minute before gently executing a classy
smooth landing. The Hercules had flown
and the critics were silenced. McNamara
asked him, ‘Howard, did you expect that?’.
Hughes’ response was cryptic: ‘I like to
make surprises’.
It was the first and the last flight of the
Hercules. For the remainder of his lifetime,
Hughes never admitted whether he intended
to fly. He spent millions of dollars keeping
the aircraft in airworthy condition until his
death in 1976. The Hercules was exhibited at
Long Beach, before making one final journey
in 1993 to its current home in Oregon.
The Hercules reined as the world’s
largest aircraft for over seventy years and
it is still the largest flying boat ever built.
Howard Hughes wanted to be remembered
for his contribution to aviation. Today the
aircraft is expertly cared for by the Evergreen
Aviation & Space Museum and visitors to
their McMinnville site, near Portland, can
climb aboard the Hercules, a lasting legacy
to the vision and then the determination of
its inventor.
Since January 2024, the Oregon Department
of Veterans’ Affairs has expanded the Oregon
Veterans Educational Bridge Grant (VEBG)
Program, greatly broadening financial assistance
eligibility for veterans completing their
educational or vocational training.
The VEBG was established by the Oregon
Legislature in 2019 to provide financial
assistance grants up to $5,000 to eligible
veterans to alleviate the financial stress during
a gap period when required courses or training
hours are unavailable, allowing them to remain
enrolled in school or their apprenticeship
training.
With the passage of House Bill 2271 in
2023, the Legislature expanded the program’s
eligibility to include veterans not eligible to
receive federal GI Bill® benefits, meaning any
veteran who is an Oregon resident and meets the
definition of “veteran” defined in ORS 408.225,
may now qualify for financial assistance using
the Veterans Educational Bridge Grant.
Legislators also expanded the grant eligibility
to include any career school licensed by Higher
Education and Coordinating Commission
(HECC), any apprenticeship registered with
BOLI, and any On-The-Job Training (OTJ)
program offered by a public employer.
The final and most significant addition was
the option for eligible veterans to use Bridge
Grant funds to pay off debt on a student account
that is preventing them from registering for
future terms.
“This grant is an empowering option for
veterans actively pursuing education or training
after military service. Whether you are eligible
to receive federal GI Bill® benefits or not,
Oregon’s VEBG funds can now help ensure the
continuation of training and remove significant
barriers to completing educational goals,” said
ODVA Director Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels.
“These eligibility expansions reflect our
state’s collective dedication to providing
comprehensive support to veterans in their
pursuit of education and vocational training,
recognizing and addressing the distinct
challenges they may encounter on their paths
to success.”
Veterans may also be eligible for retroactive
funding (i.e., funding for a past term or training
period) in certain circumstances. Any veteran
who believes they may meet the new eligibility
requirements is encouraged to apply.
For more information about the Veterans
Educational Bridge Grant Program or to
apply, visit the ODVA website at https:
//www.oregon.gov/odva/agency-programs/
grants/Pages/Educational-Bridge-Grant.aspx
or email the program coordinator at
ebg@odva.oregon.gov.
Established in 1945, the Oregon Department
of Veterans’ Affairs is dedicated to serving
Oregon’s diverse veteran community that spans
five eras of service members. ODVA administers
programs and provides special advocacy and
assistance in accessing earned veteran benefits
across the state. Learn about veteran benefits and
services, or locate a local county or tribal veteran
service office online at oregon.gov/odva.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More
information about education benefits offered by
VA is available at the official U.S. government
website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill