The following letter was sent to members of our mailing list for Senate Bill 30 on April 18th:

Hello everyone,

It's time for another update on SB 30 and our effort to protect the Metolius from destination resort development.

When last I wrote, the Senate Committee on Education and General Government had just convened its first hearing on April 5. The results were mixed, with strong support voiced by Senators Betsy Johnson and Ben Westlund, followed by a relatively weak performance by Representative John Dallum on why he had rescinded his support for the bill. Jefferson County was admonished for not sending anyone who knew what they were talking about, Oregon Water Resources Department corrected false statements made in an editorial by the Bulletin, and Senator (and Committee Chair) Walker chastised the Bulletin over the same "vitriolic and hateful" editorial. Following that, the developers and their constituents commanded the rest of the hearing and only Gregory McClarren got any chance to speak in support of the bill at the very end.

Last week, the first of three scheduled workgroups was convened, hosted by Senators Walker and Westlund. Three individuals from either side were invited to speak, and again the developers commanded the lion's share of the discussion having stacked the deck with two uninvited guests. LandWatch's Paul Dewey and a representative from the Johnson Family were present, as was Dick Kellogg from Friends of the Metolius.

The second workgroup was convened last night at 5:30 and didn't let out until 11:30pm! Again, the developers stacked the deck with numerous uninvited guests.

This is where the story gets interesting:

The point of the meeting was to discuss a compromise position, which parties on both sides were rumored to have been seeking. What came out the other end was exactly the opposite. After five hours, the developers of the Colson property refused to accept any limitations to build less than 3,000 homes on 3,500 acres (More than twice as big as Black Butte Ranch and a few hundred acres larger than the Hidden Canyon Development in Crook County– which is held up in the planning commission over its sheer size and impacts to wildlife). The Dutch Pacific/Lundgren crew refused to budge on their original numbers of over 300 units on their ~640 acre property. Instead of giving in, Senators Walker and Westlund reportedly dug in their heels.

Because of the developers' refusal to put anything on the table, it now seems that there is a good chance that an uncompromised bill will head out of committee for a vote on the Senate Floor. Walker has given the developers until noon tomorrow (Thursday) to come back with significant reductions, otherwise she's threatened to take the bill straight to the floor. She believes she has the votes she needs to do that. But at this point we shouldn't take anything for granted.

Why? Although there is reportedly a good chance that Senator Metsger will support the bill, he's still undecided, and Senator Morse, a flyfisherman, who was originally believed to be a non-supporter has proven to be quite approachable. With enough support, it's possible that we can get an uncompromised bill out of committee with a 4-1 vote!

A 4-1 victory may be critical because, although we feel SB 30 faces a good chance of success on the senate floor, if House Republicans vote as a unified block to oppose the bill and two or more House Democrats vote with them, the bill could be killed. However, if a Republican on the committee votes for the bill, it may make it difficult for the House Republicans to do that, providing us with a valuable opportunity to lobby for some Republican votes in the House.

So, what do we do now? At the present time, it's extremely important that Walker and Westlund continue to receive unwavering support for an uncompromised bill. At last night's meeting, Senator Westlund said that out of all the bills this session, including those relating to gay rights and Measure 37, he's received more letters in support of SB 30 than he has letters of support on ANY OTHER BILL!!!

So hat's off to all of you for the hard work you've done so far– a truly amazing effort.

It's critical that Metsger and Morse receive the same level of attention so that they know where the community stands on this. PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS, PICTURES, STORIES, WHATEVER TESTIMONY YOU CAN, TO METSGER AND MORSE (CONTACT INFO BELOW) AND HELP PAVE THE WAY FOR A STRONG AND DECISIVE VICTORY ON SENATE BILL 30!

As for upcoming events, there will be a public hearing in Salem at 6:00pm on Thursday, April 26th. As I wrote in my last letter, the developers sent up all their big guns last time, and so with a strong turnout we can OWN the hearing and send a strong statement to the committee and everyone else on the day the committee will be casting their votes. With eight days notice, we have PLENTY OF TIME to get organized in support of SB 30. Whether or not you were at the April 5th hearing, PLEASE make the time to testify on behalf of SB 30 if at all possible, and bring as many friends and family members as you can.

Lastly– don't stop reading now– I want to take a moment to ask you to please help LandWatch raise funds (tax deductible) to continue this fight! We have put tremendous amounts of our own time and many thousands of dollars into this fight and into our efforts to appeal the Jefferson County decisions that have created this mess in the first place, not to mention our appeal of the county's zoning code which allows for increased parcelization and development of forest land in the Metolius Basin and elsewhere.

Please help support our push to the finish and send what you can to:

Central Oregon LandWatch
1539 NW Vicksburg Ave.
Bend, OR 97701

Thanks again for all your time and effort and for your continued support. If you have questions, please feel free.

Yours,

Erik

--
Erik Kancler
Executive Director
Central Oregon LandWatch
541.788.8460


SENATOR CONTACT INFO:

Senator Ben Westlund (Bend-D)
900 Court St, NE, S-318
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1727
sen.benwestlund@state.or.us

Senator Vicki Walker Chair (Eugene-D)
900 Court St, NE, S-210
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1707
sen.vickiwalker@state.or.us

Senator Rick Metsger (Mt. Hood-D)
900 Court St, NE, S-307
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1726
sen.rickmetsger@state.or.us

Senator Frank Morse (Albany-R)
900 Court St, NE, S-218
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1708
sen.frankmorse@state.or.us

Senator Jeff Kruse Vice-Chair (Roseburg-R)
900 Court St, NE, S-211
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1701
sen.jeffkruse@state.or.us

Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose)
900 Court St. NE, S-314
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 986-1716
sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us