Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility

Oregon Republicans criticize Gov. Brown over wildfire, forest management policies


Jackson County District 5 firefighter Captain Aaron Bustard works on a smoldering fire in a burned neighborhood in Talent, Ore., Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, as destructive wildfires devastate the region. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)
Jackson County District 5 firefighter Captain Aaron Bustard works on a smoldering fire in a burned neighborhood in Talent, Ore., Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, as destructive wildfires devastate the region. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)
Facebook Share IconTwitter Share IconEmail Share Icon

Republicans in the state of Oregon have blasted Gov. Kate Brown and decades of forest policies they said allowed wildfires to sweep through the state last week, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and killing at least 10 people.

"The wildfires burning throughout our beautiful state are the result of decades of failed leadership and the governor's radical environmental agenda to appease special interests," Republican state Senate Leader Fred Girod of Lyons said in a news release Monday.

Girod said he lost his home in one of the wildfires.

He asked why Brown didn’t make wildfire prevention a priority during the “two bogus emergency special sessions” this summer. Those sessions dealt with police reform (following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May), a budget hole and other problems brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a Saturday Washington Post opinion piece, former Oregon state Rep. Julie Parrish also criticized Brown and the “gross mismanagement of Oregon’s forests.”

“But in recent decades, political power in Oregon has accumulated in urban Portland and its surrounding suburbs,” she wrote. “Residents of these areas -- insulated from the dangers of land mismanagement -- have insisted on preserving the forests as untouchable playgrounds.”

She added the state’s forests have been allowed to become overgrown, which creates fire hazards.

Brown’s spokesman, Charles Boyle, countered, saying Brown had made wildfire prevention a top priority during this year’s regular February legislation session.

"On the very first day of the February legislative session, Governor Brown urged the Legislature to pass her comprehensive wildfire response legislation, which would have put more boots on the ground and made more resources available to respond to this current emergency, including more firefighters, more planes in the air, and resources to help communities develop emergency evacuation plans -- which are incredibly critical during wildfires, when every second counts,” he wrote in a statement.

He added the governor’s plan would have also made long-term investments into responsible forest thinning aimed at reducing the severity of future wildfires.

But that plan died when the February legislative session ended early after Republicans in both houses walked out over the Democrats’ top legislative priority: the cap-and-trade bill. Democrats said that policy would help reduce Oregon’s output of greenhouse gases. Those gases lead to climate change and the potential for worse fire seasons.

In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Brown blamed the Republican walkout for the reason nothing got done on wildfire prevention. She also acknowledged the forests have been mismanaged.

“It’s both. It’s decades of mismanagement of our forests in this country, and it is the failure to tackle climate change. We need to do both. And we can,” she said.

On Monday, Brown announced she would veto portions of two bills to preserve $65 million for the state’s response to the wildfires while still balancing the state budget.

The governor also wants state lawmakers to allocate at least $150 million to the state’s emergency fund to respond to costs related to the wildfires.

"Our state faces several unprecedented challenges simultaneously: the COVID-19 pandemic, structural racism resulting in persistent disparities for Black, Indigenous, People of Color and Tribal communities in our state, widespread unemployment, a significant budget shortfall, and now the worst wildfire season in our lifetimes," Brown said in a news release. “The wildfires are a significant change since you adjourned the Second Special Session.”

After Brown announced her line-item vetoes, Girod released another statement, accusing the governor of politically motivated actions.

"Governor Brown wants more money for fire suppression and state police, but only with an emergency actively burning down the state's doorstep. After years of cutting these budgets, the action is a day late and a dollar short," he said.

Brown’s office released her intended vetoes in the two bills as follows:

SB 5723

  • Reductions to Oregon Department of Forestry (fire protection, private forests, administration and equipment), Oregon Military Department (emergency management and operations), Oregon State Police (Offices of State Fire Marshal and Chief Medical Examiner, forensic services, and agency support), and DEQ (climate change reductions): Sections 177-179, 181-185, 273, 290-294, 297-299 and 322
  • Special Purpose Appropriation for DHS/OHA: Section 342
  • Early Learning Division reductions: Section 213

HB 4304

  • Repeal of the Wildfire Damage Housing Relief Account within the Oregon Housing Fund: Sections 38-40a
  • Repeal of the PERS unfunded liability reduction program and fund dedications: Sections 14-16, 18, 18a, 18b and 18c
  • Sweep of funds from the Educator Advancement Fund: Section 61
  • Sweep of funds from the State Treasurer: Section 57
Loading ...