Aug 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
By Senator Lynn Findley and Representative Mark Owens
August 3, 2022
If there is one thing we would expect the Oregon Department of Forestry to be intimately familiar with, it would be correctly assessing wildfire risk. Apparently, this is not the case.
During the 2021 legislative session, in the wake of unprecedented catastrophic wildfires in 2020, the legislature passed Senate Bill 762 which was created to mitigate future significant loss, lack of preparedness and financial hardship in future wildfires, among many other things.
Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Board of Forestry have moved fast and loose with its enactment at the expense of Oregonians.
First, one of the many components of SB 762 was a clear definition of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and a Wildfire Risk Assessment. These were sticking points in the passage of the bill, and ultimately settled on the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) working with a group to complete the definition effort in a timely manner and OSU completing the Risk Map. It is our understanding the effort was completed on time, however, several members of the definition group felt railroaded and silenced and did not agree with the final results. In the final rulemaking, over 35 pages of text was stricken down to a mere one sentence.
Secondly, the effort regarding creation of a Wildfire Risk Map is a complete and total failure. The map was produced by Oregon State University (OSU) and ODF, and enacted as the final map without any local review. During the brief and quietly publicized public comment period, there was nothing on which to comment—the map was not ready.
Third, this map utilizes tax lots as the basis for identification. The intent of SB 762 was to further identify risk within the WUI; however, the map produced was a statewide map with no delineation for WUI nor any exclusion of non-WUI tax lots. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tax lots outside the WUI that are now classified as extreme or high risk. This is a major problem for homeowners as insurers will most certainly raise rates, or as we have heard from our constituents, threaten outright policy cancellations. In addition, Oregon State University personnel has used a fuel model for the calculation that was very aggressive which only complicates matters. There are hundreds of irrigated farm fields and meadows now classified as high and extreme risk.
Last and very importantly, the state cannot simply unveil and implement a map with such enormous shortcoming and implications, and attempt to address the problems through an online appeal process for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians. Not to mention and unsurprisingly, the online appeals process does not even work—the website crashes, links are broken, the phone number goes to a voicemail, calls aren’t returned, and questions go unanswered.
Collectively, we represent forty-three percent of the state geographically including some of the most wildfire prone forests and communities, greatest number of acres of farm and, least affordable housing, and largest populations of seniors and families at or below average income levels. Now, not only do our constituents need to worry about wildfires for their safety and livelihoods, but they also have to worry about going bankrupt due to a mismanaged mapping process.
The State of Oregon has an immediate obligation on behalf of its citizens to inform insurance companies the map was not designed for or to be used for insurance ratings or actuarial use. The map was not “ground-truthed” before it was enacted, and had no peer review, no local reviews and most importantly, no opportunity for public review and comment before issuance.
The map as it stands has no credibility. It serves as an ill-informed, unreviewed, and dangerous and divisive product pitting homeowners against the state of Oregon. Pulling back the maps and pausing the process has had executive level and bipartisan legislative level support. The Oregon Department of Forestry had a chance to restart the process and blatantly chose not to do so.
We need to stop this process and recall the map, and allow landowners, county planners, and local fire agencies to review each site and develop an accurate map reflecting efforts by homeowners to mitigate the risk through fuel reduction and building materials to collate a final product. We realize this could add significant amount of time to the effort, but we believe it is imperative we do so.
Anything less than full-stop pausing, pulling back and reassessing is pure arrogance by the State of Oregon.
Aug 4, 2021 | Uncategorized
By Les Zaitz – The Enterprise | August 4, 2021
A new order requiring face masks for students and staff at local schools took hold on Monday – and impacts summer classes. State Rep. Mark Owens and state Sen. Lynn Findley are insisting local school leaders remain in control of decisions that respond to the pandemic.
State legislators representing Malheur County are pushing back on the state’s mandate that everyone in schools must wear masks now. They are asking for community town halls and one legislators wants Gov. Kate Brown to suspend the order.
State Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, said the state should leave decisions on Covid protocols to local school boards and districts. He wants Brown to suspend the state’s order on Monday that masks are required now for all indoor school functions, including summer school.
In a written response to questions, Findley said Wednesday morning that he wants the mandate reversed.
“Governor Brown should allow each school district in full collaboration with local public health authorities to make a local decision on mask mandates in schools,” Findley wrote to the Enterprise.
Owens and state Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, reacted to Brown’s order in a letter to her on Tuesday, Aug. 3, asking her to show the science behind the mandate. They noted that a top state official said there was no evidence that schools were a source of spreading the coronavirus.
“We remain consistent in our positions that our local school districts in conjunction with local public health authorities continue to have the best pulse on their communities and should ultimately be the arbiters of mask policies and mandates,” Owens and Findley wrote in their letter.
”I have been consistently opposed to top-down one-size-fits-all mandates and I believe each school district should make their own determination on what’s best,” Findley told the Enterprise. “I have been an advocate for doing everything we can to slow the spread of Covid-19 and I trust our local authorities to make those decisions.”
State education and health officials explained to school officials and state legislators on Monday that they were acting to impose the mandate because of rapid increases in Covid cases across the state, including the delta variant.
“This rule took effect on August 2, 2021, meaning summer school and other summer programming students and staff are now required to wear face coverings,” the state Education Department said in a statement. “Quite simply, face coverings mean more days in school for more students.”
In their letter, Findley and Owens asked the governor to convene town halls to explain the new rules – and the risk educators face if they don’t follow the mandates.
“The listening sessions would be a two-way conversation where the governor and ODE have to take ownership of this mandate, present the science to back it up, explain the details and implications of the mandate, and have public conversations to hear from community members,” Findley told the Enterprise.
The Education Department said any school violating the mandate could be fined up to $500 a day. The agency also noted that state law requires educators to “maintain the dignity of the profession by respecting and obeying the law” and those who violate state standards could be subject to “discipline for gross neglect of duty.”
Owens said that for now educators should comply with the mandate because they are “at high risk of losing their license” if they don’t.
He said in an interview Wednesday that he wants Brown to suspend her order until town halls can be conducted to gather community sentiment. He said those should happen in the next two weeks.
The legislators in their letter asked the governor to disclose what science was used to justify the mandate.
“We all agree our students cannot suffer another year without in-person instruction. We also agree the health and safety of Oregonians must be a top priority. We now need to agree that building public trust through transparency and providing information before regulation will be key to slowing and eventually stopping the spread of COVID-19 and its variants,” they wrote.
Jan 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
East Oregonian
January 22, 2020
ONTARIO — Commissioners from Baker, Harney, Grant, Malheur and Lake counties voted unanimously today to appoint Mark Owens, a Harney County farmer, to replace Lynn Findley as representative for Oregon House District 60.
Findley, a Republican from Vale, was appointed earlier this month to replace Cliff Bentz in state Senate District 30.
Bentz resigned to run full time for Greg Walden’s seat in Congress.
“I am thankful and humbled today to have been appointed to serve as the next state representative for House District 60,” Owens said in a press release. “I look forward to serving the communities and being a voice for Eastern Oregon in Salem.”
There were two other candidates for House District 60 — Tom Van Diepen of Baker City, and Tim Smith of Burns.
Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett said neither was present when commissioners voted Tuesday in Ontario.
Owens, a Harney County commissioner, filed Nov. 4, 2019, as a candidate for the House District 60 Republican primary in May.
He will be sworn in later this month. The Oregon Legislature convenes Feb. 3 in Salem.
“At the state level, there is a lot of work to be done to protect our way of life in Eastern Oregon and to provide a better path for future generations of Oregonians,” Owens said. “We need to make sustainable natural resources a top priority. Our kids deserve stronger schools and greater opportunities for their career paths. Families need financial stability instead of living paycheck to paycheck and having to worry about the next tax increase coming our way from Salem.
“Most importantly, my top priority and my No. 1 job will be to listen, learn and represent the constituents in Eastern Oregon.”
Nov 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
By Northwest Spotlight
Oregon Catalyst
Crane, Ore—Today, Republican Mark Owens, local farmer and Harney County Commissioner, announced his candidacy for state representative in Oregon’s House District 60. The seat is currently held by Rep. Lynn Findley (R-Vale) who announced last week he will be running for the Oregon Senate.
“I can’t think of a better place to live, work and raise a family than where we live today, and as the next state representative for eastern Oregon, I will work to make sure we build a sustainable future for the next generation of Oregonians,” said Owens. “Our communities need an advocate in Salem that understands our unique way of life and the challenges we face, and who will make sure opportunities abound for our citizens—I will be that advocate.”
As a teenager, Owens spent his summers working on a ranch in Harney County before he moved to Harney County full time in 2001. His greatest accomplishment was meeting and marrying his wife Celeste who had moved into the area to teach school after college. They were able to start and currently operate an alfalfa ranch and custom haying business. Celeste is an elementary school teacher in Crane and their two children, ages 15 and 11, attend Crane public schools.
Owens was elected to the Harney County Commission in 2016 where his priority has been to ensure Harney County is able to sustain local agriculture while looking for additional business opportunities for the county. The use of natural resources, public lands and protecting our way of life has been and still will be his primary focus.
In addition, he serves as Chair of the Ground Water Study Advisory Committee and liaison for the Oregon Water Resource Department, and as the School Board Chair for Crane Union High School. He has served on numerous commissions, boards and councils to represent eastern Oregon locally and at the state level.
“We have been greatly represented by Representative Findley and Senator Bentz, and it would be an honor to carry on their great work and be a voice for the citizens of Eastern Oregon in the Oregon legislature,” said Owens.
Owens will file his candidacy today and launch his formal campaign this week.
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