LCDC

House Bill 3100, also known as the Metolius Protection Act of 2009, will be discussed by the Land Use Committee of the Oregon House of Representatives at a public hearing at 3 pm Tuesday, April 7, at Hearing Room E at the State Capitol building in Salem.

The act stems from a recent vote by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission that designated the Metolius River area as an Area of Critical State Concern because the LCDC called it, “a unique area with outstanding values that are important to all Oregonians, and that those values are threatened by current and future plans for large-scale development in and around the basin.”

Two destination resorts are reportedly being planned for the Metolius Basin. The largest, on property atop Green Ridge owned by the Ponderosa Land & Cattle Company, would be more than five times the size of Black Butte Ranch, and be the largest resort in Oregon.

Community members are encouraged to weigh in with their opinions on the bill during the hearing. Each speaker will be given two minutes to address the committee, and each speaker should submit 25 copies of any written material at the time of testimony. The discussion on the bill is scheduled to continue into the April 9 hearing so interested community members will most likely have both days available to speak.

Any questions or comments about the bill, the hearing or the procedure surrounding speaking at the hearing can be directed to the Office of the Land Use Committee at (503) 986-1734. One website dedicated to saving the area is www.metoliusfriends.org and the site includes links for contacting public officials.

(With thanks to Topher Vollmer.)