Senate Bill 762
Senate Bill 762, as passed by the Oregon legislature, is a comprehensive wildfire preparedness and resiliency bill designed to address multiple aspects of wildfire management and prevention. Here are the key points of the bill:
- Funding: The bill allocates more than $220 million to help Oregon modernize and improve wildfire preparedness.
- Strategies: It focuses on three main strategies:
- Creating fire-adapted communities.
- Developing safe and effective responses to wildfires.
- Increasing the resiliency of Oregon's landscapes to withstand wildfires.
- Agency Involvement: The legislation involves action from multiple agencies, aiming to provide long-term security for the state by minimizing loss of life and property, protecting wildland firefighters, managing forest assets, and creating a more resilient environment against wildfires.
- Wildfire Mitigation Plan: It requires consumer-owned utilities to have a wildfire mitigation plan.
- State Board of Forestry Responsibilities: The State Board of Forestry is directed to establish criteria for developing a statewide map of wildfire risk, establish a Certified Burn Manager program, and report to the Legislative Assembly.
This bill is the product of years of hard work and bipartisan support, reflecting Oregon's commitment to improving its approach to wildfire preparedness and response