The Washington County Sheriff's Office recently received its 6th consecutive accreditation award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.(CALEA). The Sheriff's Office received the Meritorious Award for being an accredited agency for more than 15 years.

Accreditation is a rigorous ongoing four-year process during which the Sheriff's Office must strictly adhere to policing practices considered excellent on a national level. Administered by CALEA, the accreditation program requires agencies to comply with standards considered to be best policing practices in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

CALEA Client Service Members reviewed policies and examined procedures to verify compliance every year for four years. At the end of the fourth year, a CALEA team assessed the agency's day-to-day operations of policies and procedures during three days of interviews with leaders, staff of all levels, government leaders, and community partners, including a hearing to solicit public comment.

After confirming standards compliance through file review, observations of agency activities, and interviews, the Commission voted unanimously to award the agency its 6th consecutive accreditation award. Sheriff Pat Garrett stated,

"Now more than ever,the value of a national police accreditation program is being recognized as a genuine agency commitment to professionalism and learning. CALEA standards align with community-oriented policing by requiring agencies to have contemporary policies, train regularly, and build trust with the community through engagement and best practices."

--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-11-01 09:55:52

Last Update: 2020-11-01 13:37:12

Numerous businesses suffered vandalism during a riot in the Irvington and Lloyd District neighborhoods Saturday.

On October 31, 2020 at about 7:15p.m, a group of about 150 people began a march from Irving Park, 875 Northeast Fremont Street. The march proceeded south on Northeast Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard into the Lloyd District area.

Individuals in the group committed acts of vandalism. Windows were broken out in two different phone stores, a coffee shop, a computer store, a community bank, a hotel, a restaurant (that was open at the time), a financial office, and two realty offices (photos). The destruction prompted the declaration of a riot.

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) made announcements via loudspeaker and Twitter:

"This is the Portland Police Bureau. To those marching on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd: This has been declared a riot. Members of this group have been observed damaging multiple businesses along NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. All persons must immediately leave the area. Failure to adhere to this order may subject you to arrest, citation, or crowd control agents, including, but not limited to, tear gas and/or impact weapons. Disperse immediately."

"This is the Portland Police Bureau. We apologize to the members of the Lloyd District and Irvington Neighborhoods for the loud announcements; however, the group marching on NE 11th Ave have broken windows at multiple businesses on NE MLK Jr. Blvd and the Lloyd District. Members of the group have also thrown projectiles at police and pepper sprayed community member bystanders. To those marching on NE 11th Ave and through the Lloyd District: This has been declared a riot. Members of this group have broken out windows in multiple businesses on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and in the Lloyd District. Members have also thrown projectiles at police and pepper sprayed community members. All persons must immediately leave the area."

PPB officers moved in and dispersed the crowd. By 8:30p.m., most of the rioters had gone and the riot declaration was rescinded.

No arrests have been made, but the acts of vandalism are under investigation and future arrests are possible. If anyone was a victim of a crime related to this riot and has not already made a report, they're encouraged to call 503-823-3333 and file a police report, or file online. Please reference case number 20-681864.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-11-01 08:16:53

Last Update: 2020-11-01 15:14:15

Who could be surprised after President Trump announced a vaccine by the end of November that Oregon, Washington, and Nevada would join California's COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which will independently review the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the FDA for distribution. Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the panel made up of nationally acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health. While there is no proven vaccine for COVID-19 yet, these top health experts will review any vaccine that receives federal approval and verify its safety before California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada will make the vaccine available to the public.

“The vaccines currently in development, once approved, are what Americans have been waiting for to protect their families, their children, and their loved ones in long-term care facilities,” said Oregon Governor Kate Brown. “The independent review conducted by this panel of doctors, scientists, and health experts will ensure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone, especially communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease.”

“We believe in science, public health and safety. That is why I am pleased that Washington is joining California and other western states in this effort,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. “Any COVID vaccine must be guided by the expertise of scientists and medical professionals and that’s just what this workgroup will do.” Governor Inslee has followed California every step of the way through the pandemic and his family connection with Bill Gates leaves a big question.

This is not the first time Western States have collaborated in response to COVID-19. In April, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Nevada joined in a Western States Pact which shared a vision for fighting COVID-19 and reopening their economies. Western State leaders in May urged congressional leaders to approve $1 trillion in COVID-19 relief for states and local governments and are partnering to pilot a project testing new exposure notification technology pioneered by Google and Apple.

It must be noted that the assembling of panels of experts is not science. Science is the study of the world through collection of observations and/or experiments and a review of data that comes from that process. Expert opinion, while it may be useful, and while often passed off as science is what philosophers call and "appeal to authority," and not science. Indeed, when controversial policy decisions are at stake, hand-picked experts may be assembled to achieve the desired result. That process is politics, not science.

Governor Brown has met behind closed doors with her COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel, has kept her scientific sources well hidden and refuses to provide the evidence for the accuracy of testing. It has been suggested and worth questioning whether positive testing score are being padded to support a vaccine mandate. With so much lack of transparency, what are we to believe or trust?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-11-01 07:41:48

In a COVID-19 addled world where pot shops are essential and grocery workers come into contact with maybe thousands of people each day and survive nicely, the largest teachers' union has come out against schools opening, citing safety concerns.

John Larson, the president of the Oregon Education Association, which represents 44,000 education professionals throughout the state took issue with Oregon Governor Kate Brown's relaxing of metrics for school re-opening, saying

"Nobody wants to get students back to the classroom more than Oregon's educators, but the process to bring those students back must be thoughtful and deliberative. The Governor's decision to hastily implement new, relaxed, metrics will only serve to further disrupt education for students, families, and educators throughout Oregon — allowing districts to bring students back to the classroom before it is safe to do so and increasing the likelihood that our schools and communities will again be forced to lock down in the future.

"Now is the time for Oregon leaders to focus on taking strong steps to reduce the ever-climbing community spread of COVID-19 in our state and put in place safeguards that will keep our most at-risk community members safe."

This statement places the teachers' union at odds with the Governor, who is their largest recipient of their campaign funding generosity. The Governor is term-limited out and will not be able to run in 2022. Below is a history of contributions from the Oregon Education Association to Kate Brown.

Major donations to Kate Brown Committee from the OEA
Date	Donor	Amount
10/03/2018	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$100,000
09/04/2018	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$100,000
09/24/2016	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$50,000
05/11/2016	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$50,000
09/25/2012	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$15,000
03/23/2012	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$10,000
10/29/2008	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$75,000
08/14/2008	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$10,000
04/28/2008	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$25,000
03/21/2008	Kate Brown Committee (931)	$25,000

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-10-31 18:48:42

Last Update: 2020-10-31 22:33:42

The Portland, er, uh, Oregon Trailblazers, or whatever they are, unveiled a new 2020-21 City Edition uniform combination, including a new regional name: The Oregon Trailblazers.

The National Basketball Association team, playing in Portland since the league expanded in 1970 heralded it's new duds, saying "celebrating the unique beauty of Oregon's landscape as well as acknowledging the tribal nations throughout the region who have called this land their home from the beginning."

Their website goes on to say, "Oregon stitched for the first time in team history across the chest, displays the pride for our state using the font from the recognizable sign that continues to shine in old town Portland. The lead design element of the uniform is in earth tone colors, representing the beautiful and unique landscape and topography of Oregon.

One legislator from Southern Oregon -- while not completely taking credit for the name change -- is certainly burnishing his prophetic credentials. HCR 15 in 2019 was introduced by State Representative E. Werner Reschke (R-Malin) and read, in part:

Resolved, That we recognize the importance of the team to the entire State of Oregon and its place in the hearts of Oregonians across the state; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge the Portland Trail Blazers organization to change the name of the team to the “Oregon Trail Blazers.”

The bill urging the name change did not receive a hearing and died in the rules committee as the 2019 Session adjourned.

It's not clear whether the team is hoping to distance itself from the city of Portland, which has been the home of some less-than-wholesome events in the past few months.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-10-31 09:36:29

Last Update: 2020-10-31 18:48:42

In her press conference on Friday announcing the relaxation of metrics for school re-opening, Governor Brown also announced the creation of a new anonymous complaint hotline to report schools out of compliance. During her prepared remarks, Brown said:

“We’ve also set up a secure, confidential hotline for anyone — teachers, parents, students — to call when they believe a school is not in compliance with safety requirements. Complaints can be filed anonymously through Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and schools out of compliance with health and safety requirements will be subject to corrective enforcement.”

Oregon OSHA already operates a general complaint hotline for people to report worker safety issues. Governor Brown didn't describe how to access the tip line or how to find it online. The hotline number is 1-833-604-0884.

It's not clear if Oregon OSHA will be performing the "corrective enforcement" mentioned in the announcement for schools out of compliance with health and safety requirements, nor if the enforcement will include a tightening of the metrics for the offending school.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2020-10-31 09:07:08

Last Update: 2020-10-31 13:21:45

Teachers and administrators are losing their minds after Governor Kate Brown announced a relaxing of the guidelines for schools to open. According to Brown, 130,000 students will be able to start back to school for in person instruction throughout the state. The new metrics bring Oregon into alignment with California, and the CDC.

Despite pushback from teachers and administrative staff, who fear catching COVID-19, Colt Gill of the Oregon Department of Education maintains that "schools are not super spreader sites." Teachers are calling upon their union leaders to return to the older metrics, fearful of getting sick.

Yet pressure to return schools to in person teaching, has been mounting. Aside from lawsuits filed against the Governor, stakeholders, parents, and lawmakers have added to the growing number of individuals, concerned over distance learning models, demanding the return to in person instruction.

In her press conference Friday October 30th, Brown stated "Our updated metrics are based on the latest COVID-19 studies and data, are aligned with CDC recommendations, and bring Oregon in sync with the standards of other states like California,” said Governor Brown. “They also help us meet our priority of returning students to in-person instruction. These metrics still place a very high bar for low case counts to open schools, while at the same time providing more flexibility for our younger students.”



Brown added that "Schools are at the center of it all: the personnel, teachers, nurses, counselors, librarians, and education support professionals who, every day, build the personal, individual connections with students that are so crucial to their lifelong success.” She also noted that “What is really clear is that schools are not ‘super-spreader’ events.”

Education accounts for one of the largest budgets in the state of Oregon, and is often the source of contentious, heatedly debated bills like the 2019 long session's HB 3427, dubbed "The Student Success Act," which allocated money to the general fund by creating a new corporate activity tax. The bill passed with an emergency clause, going into immediate effect, amidst a pandemic, when Oregon businesses were already struggling to survive.

Parents have been disenrolling students at rates far exceeding the 3% cap, needed to maintain funding for each district. During a recent lawsuit from a Hermiston based school, a policy adviser for Brown “discussed the potential for a 'mass exodus' of children from public schools and emphasized that public schools could suffer a reduction in funding if students disenrolled to obtain education elsewhere."

The timing of this new metric announcement leaves many wondering, if the Brown administration is potentially concerned with civil unrest. "It's common knowledge, at this point, that counties are gearing up for continued unrest, like we've seen over the past several months here in Portland. Rioters who are predominantly young people, have been given an outlet with these protests, be it violent or peaceful. I'm honestly wondering if this isn't a way to get them back into school, and off Portland streets, in time for the election results?" Says Jenn Williams, who recently switched to homeschooling, after learning about content offered in public schools. "I completely understand why parents are rapidly disengaging from the public school system, and also see how that could really hurt the state's coffers." "Everything else about this pandemic has seemed more political than scientifically based from the start, why would this metric change be anything other than political in nature?" Asks Williams.


--Breeauna Sagdal

Post Date: 2020-10-31 08:33:19

Last Update: 2020-10-31 09:07:08

On October 29, 2020, at approximately 2:05 p.m., Central Precinct officers responded to the 2000 block of West Burnside Street on reports of a male suspect who was sexually assaulting an unconscious female victim in public. After arriving on scene and speaking with several witnesses in the vicinity, officers located the suspect and placed him into custody.

The Portland Police Bureau Sex Crime Unit was notified and 39-year-old Jedediah Thomas Zach was booked into the Multnomah County Detention center on Sex Abuse I and Sex Abuse II charges.

It seems Jedediah Thomas Zach has quite a record, including felony robbery. Just last month he was arrested and released twice in one day, with zero bail in Multnomah County.

The Portland Police Bureau Sex Crimes Unit consists of sworn personal and victim advocates who apply a victim-centered approach to reporting and investigating sexual assaults.

Multnomah County Victims' Assistance Program: Provides support during the reporting of sexual assaults and referrals to victim services and resources: 503-988-3222.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-10-30 06:23:16

Last Update: 2020-10-30 08:53:32

The Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA) announced the appointment of Mike McArthur as executive director. McArthur will take over for Brian Skeahan, who announced his retirement.

“We were pleased when Mike expressed interest in the position,” Les Perkins, Chair of the CREA Executive Committee and Hood River County Commissioner said when the announcement was made. “We had an excellent applicant pool,” Perkins said, “but ultimately the executive committee unanimously agreed that Mike was the right person with the right skill set for the CREA executive director position.”

McArthur was Sherman County Judge at the beginning of the wind boom in the gorge. He was involved in CREA’s formation and formative years. In 2004, McArthur became executive director of the Association of Oregon Counties, where he helped champion renewable energy development. McArthur chaired the Governor’s Renewable Energy Work Group from 2005 to 2007.

McArthur said, “I am committed to CREA’s original vision of the positive benefits renewable energy provides all Oregonians. CREA is unique as a place where local governments can come together with project developers to understand each other’s needs, and by doing so, ensure Oregon will continue to be a place where these developers will want to do business, thereby creating jobs and tax base for Oregon.”

Skeahan came to CREA in 2013 after a 30+ year career in public power. During that time, he was involved in renewable energy development including hydro, landfill gas, and wind project development. “I would like to thank this and prior CREA Executive Committee members for the opportunity to work with them. It was an interesting way to wind up my career, providing me a new and different perspective on this interesting and important industry,” Skeahan stated.

McArthur will join CREA officially on November 1, 2020. Skeahan will stay on board through CREA’s annual meeting November 17, 2020 and then until the end of November.

CREA currently operates as an intergovernmental entity pursuant to Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 190. CREA was formed to promote, foster, and advance the economic application and public understanding of community based renewable energy. Members include 13 Oregon counties, a city (Prineville), irrigation districts, and renewable energy developers.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-10-29 18:59:00

Last Update: 2020-10-29 21:21:24

Amid Governor Brown’s keeping businesses under her thumb until January, the national front is booming with a Gross Domestic Product growth at an annualized rate of 33.1% in the third quarter of 2020. The GDP is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced that is used to indicate the purchasing power per capita. This jump in GDP is nearly double the previous record set 70 years ago.

How does Oregon stack up? Oregon Office of Economic Analysis reports Oregon’s housing inventory is down 40 percent compared to 20 percent nationally, which would normally indicate sales are strong. But in a pandemic, it’s an indication of non-willing sellers. This is not stopping the strong sales of resort homes in the Bend area above $750,000. It has the effect of skewing the economy because it does not mean all that much for the middle-income families. Instead, it has the effect of forcing up prices even on median homes. Statewide construction decreased a -4.6 percent in September making it a negative growth six months in a row. That rolls down to a -11.6 percent decline in the logging industry and a -9.0 percent in manufacturing.

Out of the twelve categories tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, none of them have had an increased rate from the prior month for six straight months, meaning Oregon has been on a down hill spiral for six months. The hardest hit is the leisure and hospitality industry with double digit decline every month with -25.0 decline in September. What this does to other industries and small businesses can’t be calculated.

Governor Brown just extended her Executive Order to continue this downward momentum. Even though the unemployment rate has gone down to 8.0 percent in September, it can’t be interpreted as an indication of economic gain as long as every category of measurement continues to show losses. It just prolongs a complete collapse. How many of Oregon’s small businesses can survive to January?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-10-29 18:26:27

Last Update: 2020-10-31 08:29:12

Editor's note: This article first appeared as a blog on the website LibertyInEducation.org

On October 15, the Oregon Department of Education issued a Black Lives Matter Resolution. The resolution contains laudable statements supporting the equal treatment of Black students, fair treatment of all students, and removing roadblocks hindering student success. We support those messages of respect, understanding, and belonging.

The statements that bring concern for many students and families contain the words “equity”, “anti-racism”, and “systemic”, which sound reasonable on the surface, but are, perhaps, destructive or counter-productive. What exactly do these terms mean and how are they taught in the classroom? The phrase “Black Lives Matter” can precisely mean what it declares, Black students matter. But, could it mean something more? Does it bring unintended division into the schools when it is meant to unite?

“Equity”

This is not a new word for the Oregon Department of Education and most parents in Oregon are familiar with the phrase “equity lens”. the Oregon Department of Education has used this approach with distance learning, so it is not surprising that the Oregon Department of Education states their focus on equity in this resolution. In their Equity Initiatives, the Oregon Department of Education wants equal outcomes. Thomas Sowell, a Black author and senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute has researched extensively on the causes of discrimination and disparities among Black youth. More than a decade ago he caught on to the “hoax”:

The biggest hoax of the past two generations is still going strong — namely, the hoax that statistical differences in outcomes for different groups are due to the way other people treat those groups. The latest example of this hoax is the joint crusade of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice against schools that discipline black males more often than other students. According to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, this disparity in punishment violates the "promise" of "equity." Just who made this promise remains unclear, and why equity should mean equal outcomes despite differences in behavior is even more unclear. This crusade by Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is only the latest in a long line of fraudulent arguments based on statistics. If black males get punished more often than Asian American females, does that mean that it is somebody else's fault? That it is impossible that black males are behaving differently from Asian American females? Nobody in his right mind believes that. But that is the unspoken premise, without which the punishment statistics prove nothing about ‘equity.’

We wonder if the Oregon Department of Education’s “equity” policy is actually equitable? Is it beneficial to the communities we are trying to build? Or have these policies actually widened the gap? As Sowell suggests, perhaps there are other statistical differences that cause the achievement gap? There are differences in family dynamics, gender, income, personality, birth order, etc. In Sowell’s most recent book “Discrimination and Disparities” (2018) he continues to speak out against the focus of equal outcome. He states “children raised by two parents tend to have higher levels of intelligence but also that first-born and single children have even higher intelligence levels than those of younger siblings, indicating that the time and attention given by parents to their children greatly impacts the child’s future more than factors like race, environment or genetics.” Overall we feel that focusing on outcome over opportunity is more harmful than helpful.

“Anti-racism” & “Systemic Racism”

We have been hearing from parents across Oregon that their children are being told in class they are racist from birth. Sixth grade teachers are discussing the Breonna Taylor case and stating that the “killers will be held accountable”, and to “be prepared for large protests around the country if they are not”. Parents are listening to their children’s teachers delegitimize the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, and undermining our law enforcement. Other students are being taught about “white privilege” and inherited racial guilt. Do these teachings support the Oregon Department of Education’s mission, as stated in the resolution, to promote “educational practices that lead directly to the educational and life success of all Oregon PK-12 students”?

These are not the lessons of Martin Luther King. Rather, all of these lessons are rooted in theories from the Black Power Movement of the 1960s—an ideology that gave rise to Critical Race Theory. By definition, these ideas are simply “theories” and their impact on child development is unproven. Many black scholars are speaking out in opposition to teaching these topics to young people, especially without allowing for open debate or opposing viewpoints. Many believe these lessons are harmful for children of all races—division, guilt and permanent victim status leading to hopelessness are just a few of their unintended consequences. Recently, Kemi Badenock, a woman of color and Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, recently spoke out about the dangers of teaching Critical Race Theory:

In Oregon and around the world, parents, politicians, teachers, and others are beginning to question these teachings, which are divisive and dehumanizing.

“Black Lives Matter”

The Oregon Department of Education Black Lives Matter Resolution states:

WHEREAS, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel issued an advisory opinion that it is not a violation of the Hatch Act for federal employees to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the Black Lives Matter Global Network while on duty, including wearing or displaying materials related to the cause, because they address issues such as racism, which are not inherently aligned with a single political party and do not meet any criteria for a "partisan political group”.

If the statement “Black Lives Matter” is nonpartisan and teachers are supported in wearing Black Lives Matter gear, are they also supported in wearing other slogans such as “Blue Lives Matter” or “All Lives Matter”? If Black Lives Matter is a statement not representing a political agenda, then other slogans should also be acceptable. However, in the Oregon Department of Education’s “Training Toolkit” released with the Resolution, a teacher discusses how she handled a student saying “All Lives Matter” in one of the virtual classrooms. The student then wrote an apology letter.

Clearly only certain slogans and statements are being supported by the Oregon Department of Education. If Black Lives Matter is not in violation there should be equal treatment of other statements as well.

Recently Governor Brown rightly asked for the removal of symbols of the noose, the Confederate flag, and the swastika. We agree with this. Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill stated on the issue:

The Oregon Department of Education is committed to ensuring that Oregon’s schools are safe and inclusive for all students and staff, and the All Students Belong rule is an important step in that process. The noose, Confederate flag and swastika are being used to bully and harm students and staff, and this is particularly true for students of color. Students must feel like they are safe and belong in their own schools if they are to learn work and grow to their fullest potential. It is our responsibility to make sure that all of our school communities feel safe and welcomed, and we support youth to set a moral standard.

Does “all students” include students that have parents in law enforcement? Does “all students” include students whose families have escaped communism? We heard from an Oregon parent that escaped communist rule in Vietnam and she shared with us her thoughts on the raised fist. She states, “It represents communism. We hate communism. I lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for 2 years before coming to the United States. We escaped and now they teach communism to my children and they are confused. The United States is land of liberty! They don’t teach it anymore.” Are these students feeling they “belong in their own schools”? The symbol that BLM has adopted is the communist fist, which to those who have escaped communism, means “genocide.” Children with these family histories must feel like they are safe and belong in their schools too.

Although the ODE’s Resolution is well-meaning, we are concerned about possible unintended consequences. Does it enhance or reduce freedom? Assemble or divide? We believe that the most inclusive line in the Resolution are the last 3 words, “All Students Belong.” If ODE really believes this, they need to rethink their Black Lives Matter Resolution.


--Oregonians for Liberty in Education

Post Date: 2020-10-29 17:20:10

Last Update: 2020-10-30 08:35:01

As the state sets its sights on recovering from historic wildfires, the Oregon Department of Transportation will take a lead role, as part of the Oregon Debris Management Task Force, in ash and debris removal.

Oregon’s Joint Legislative Emergency Board approved $50 million last week to begin this work in the eight counties affected by wildfires – Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties.

The 2020 Labor Day fires were the largest and most expensive disaster in Oregon’s history. Nine Oregonians lost their lives, more than 1 million acres burned and over 5,000 homes and businesses were destroyed. The state has transitioned from immediate fire response to statewide recovery.

“The level of damage and magnitude of loss to Oregon’s communities cannot be overstated,” ODOT Director Kris Strickler said. “Our collective efforts to rebuild will be long-term, challenging, and will demand strong partnerships at all levels. We can – and will – do this together.”

Preparing to rebuild requires we first clean up the debris the fires left behind. Removing household hazardous waste, hazard trees, and other ash and structural debris will be a lengthy and expensive process.

The wildfire cleanup process is already underway. Step 1, removal of household hazardous waste, is fully funded by FEMA and the state of Oregon and is already underway in several counties. Step 2 is removal of ash and debris.

As the lead contracting agency for Step 2, ODOT will oversee the cleanup efforts, awarding contracts for ash and debris removal. ODOT has already begun removal of hazard trees across the state, a process that could take nine months to complete. The estimated timeline for ash and debris cleanup completion is 6-18 months and includes considerations such as weather impacts, property access limitations and geographic scope.

ODOT will work in close partnership with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Emergency Management, local governments, property owners, and private sector partners.

Initial estimates put the debris cleanup tally at over $600 million, including $326 million for ash and debris removal and $295 million to remove damaged trees. The estimate is preliminary and is likely to change. As debris cleanup efforts begin, the true costs of the damage will become clearer.

Property owners need to sign an access agreement, called a Right of Entry form, as soon as possible to allow crews to clean up their property for both steps 1 and 2. The sooner you sign this form, the sooner cleanup can get started in your area.

If you choose to clean up hazardous waste, ash and debris outside of this process, it will be at your own cost. Removal of household hazardous waste and debris can be an expensive process, costing as much as $75,000. Even with insurance, the cost will reduce the amount of money you can use to rebuild your home.

More information is available online, or you can email ODOT via a dedicated email for all wildfire debris related inquiries.

Oregon’s Debris Management Task Force, which includes ODOT, OEM, and DEQ, is coordinating federal, state, and local government agencies to clean up debris from the 2020 Oregon wildfires.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-10-29 11:30:38

Last Update: 2020-10-29 19:47:52