First things first: Quack
quack. Next up: Arizona at
home the day after
Thanksgiving. Go Ducks! And
for the Beaver Believers out
there, time to bounce back
after last week with another
USC upset in Corvallis.
With that out of the way, I
hope this newsletter finds
you well – I am in the
nation’s capital, where the
lame duck session started
Monday and newly elected
members are arriving for
organizational meetings so
we can hit the ground
running in the new Congress
shortly after New Year’s
Day.
I told you in the last
newsletter that
Speaker-to-be John Boehner
asked me to chair the
transition over the next
couple of months, with the
primary focus making the
Congress more transparent
and accountable to taxpayers
than ever before; making
sure the people, the policy
makers and the press all
have time to read and
understand legislation
before it’s voted on;
putting legislative
proposals and committee
votes online. After all, it
is the people House, the
public’s business, the
taxpayers’ money and they
should have the right to
participate in the process.
It’s an important (and
large!) responsibility.
You can read more about it
in a profile that the
Washington Post put together.
Despite my increased
leadership responsibilities
back in Washington, I
continue to work on the most
important issues: those
involving Oregon and
especially the Second
District.
As a story in the
Mail-Tribune noted last week:
“Although his new post has
elevated him into the
national political
spotlight, (Walden) said he
intends to keep his
commitment to visit the
district nearly every
weekend.”
On Veteran’s Day I
participated in observances
in southern Oregon (Central
Point, White City, Ashland,
and Medford). The freedom
and security that we enjoy
in America was given to us
because of the selfless
sacrifice of those who have
worn our nation’s uniform in
the past, and those who wear
it today. We thank them and
their families for their
service and sacrifice.
Meeting with Oregonians
renews my energy, helps me
maintain my focus and
enhances my lengthy “to-do”
list. If our paths don’t
cross in the district, you
can always contact me with
any questions, concerns or
comments you may have, or if
you have any conflicts with
federal agencies in which I
can help resolve. All of the
contact info is at the
bottom of the page.
Lakeview biomass
In last week’s newsletter
I wrote a bit about
over-reaching federal
regulations that stand to
threaten the fledgling
biomass industry, especially
in Oregon.
Well here’s a bit of good
news: the Lakeview biomass
plant, after years of
planning, is in the final
stages of becoming a
reality. The 26.8-megawatt
Lakeview Cogeneration Plant
started its construction
last week.
The local community and
Collins never lost sight of
the vision, and they
strongly persevered through
numerous setbacks and
delays. Now, their faith and
effort will pay off in jobs,
efficiency, and better
health of our forests in the
area. Biomass is a proven
technology and the wave of
the future as we manage
because biomass is truly a
renewable resource.
These are just the kinds
of new job-creating projects
that we need the federal
government to support,
rather than punish.
Oregon National
Guard heading overseas
Eastern Oregon's own 3rd
Battalion of the 116th
Cavalry recently completed
over 40 days of training at
Camp Shelby Mississippi in
preparation for their
mission in Iraq. The 3-116
deployed from La Grande for
their one year mission in
Iraq in September. After
completing their final
stages of training on U.S.
soil they will move out for
Kuwait and then Iraq in the
next few weeks. The 3-116 is
comprised of units from Hood
River, The Dalles,
Hermiston, Pendleton, La
Grande, Baker City and
Ontario — all within the
Second District.
Over the past seven
years, the National Guard
has been tasked and
battle-tested as never
before in its history. Time
and again, Guardsmen have
proven themselves more than
deserving of the gratitude
of their fellow Americans
while defending freedom
around the globe.
I know this deployment
will not be without strife
and concern for our soldiers
and their families. Please
keep them all in your
thoughts and prayers.
Follow the 3-116 on
Facebook.
“Ranchers feeding
kids” & “Beef for schools”
There’s some good stuff
going on in Malheur and
Baker counties when it comes
to school lunches. The Baker
County Cattlemen started
their “Beef for Schools”
program in 2008 and the
Malheur County Cattlemen’s
association started the
Ranchers Feeding Kids
program in 2009. Both of
these programs provide
locally grown beef to school
meal programs at no cost to
the schools.
Here’s how it works.
Local ranchers donate
animals and help pay for the
animals to be processed at a
local USDA inspected
facility. The processed
meat in the form of
hamburger and roasts is then
provided to local schools
free of charge. The Ranchers
Feeding Kids program also
includes an educational
component where the ranchers
educate students about the
local cattle industry.
I have to applaud both
the Baker and Malheur County
Cattlemen for starting these
innovative and community
driven programs. These help
provide nutritious meals to
our school children and
showcase locally grown food,
along with educating the
next generation of students
about the importance of the
agriculture industry. It’s a
real winner all the way
around.
Public comment
period extended on Northern
Spotted Owl Recovery Plan
A quick note here that
the public comment period
for a new far-reaching
recovery plan for the
northern spotted owl has
been extended for 30 days.
Earlier this month, I
helped write a bipartisan
letter to the Secretary of
the Interior asking for an
additional 90 days in the
comment period. Our chief
concern is that the public
isn’t getting a fair amount
of time to weigh in: the
public received 150 days to
comment on the 2008 recovery
plan with four separate
public meetings. This time
around, the public was only
scheduled to get 60 days to
comment – so we asked for an
additional 90 days to get to
the same precedent that was
set in 2008.
The federal plan is
troubling because it
significantly shifts the
focus of recovery efforts to
include non-federal, or
private, lands.
I support the need to
develop an effective
recovery strategy for the
northern spotted owl, but
it’s important that the
public has sufficient time
and information to comment
of the new plan, which will
affect huge tracts of land
in the Northwest.
New Veterans
Court in Klamath Falls
A veterans’ court opened
in Klamath Falls last week –
it’s the first of its kind
in the entire state. The
court is aimed at addressing
criminal justice issues that
veterans face — especially
as a result of mental health
issues from their military
service.
This is a unique program
that has solid support from
the county and veteran
groups in the area. It
really says a lot about the
people in Klamath Falls and
how they feel about their
veterans to set up a system
like this.
I hope it serves as a
model for more communities
in Oregon to follow in the
future. As I’ve said many
times before, our veterans
deserve everything we can
possibly do to support them
when they come home. It’s
the least we can do.
Leadership change
with the U.S. Forest Service
One quick final note:
Mary Wagner, who directly
oversees much of the U.S.
Forest Service land in the
Northwest, is moving on to a
new post within the agency.
Mary was particularly
helpful in the response to
the floods in the
Wallowa-Whitman that washed
out the Mountain Loop Road
earlier this year.
Her replacement has not
been selected. When Mary
took on the Region 6
Supervisor position, I
invited her to a community
roundtable in Elgin and a
meeting in Enterprise to
show her how important
resources-based jobs are to
the folks in eastern Oregon.
Both events packed the
house – easily more than 100
attended the Union County
forum. I will extend a
similar invitation to
whoever ends up as Mary’s
successor. If we’re going to
get the economy turned
around in our forested
communities, we need to
improve forest policy on
federal land.
That’s all for now. Have
a great rest of the week.
Best regards,
Greg Walden
U.S. Representative
Oregon’s Second District
