Dear John,

The state senate is voting on the Wildfire Safe Bill (aka Senate Bill 762) today. If it passes, it’ll go to a final vote by the state house directly after (possibly today or tomorrow). This is our chance to make sure Oregon passes strong protections for wildfires! Please send an email to your lawmakers right away and ask them to vote yes on SB 762 [[link removed]].

I’m sure you’ve noticed the scorching temperatures lately, especially if you don’t have air conditioning. It’s only June and temperatures are already in the 90’s and 100’s. Experts are worried that this summer will turn out like last summer--or worse. 

We all remember it: the thick smoke, the red, mottled sun. My parents spent several long days on evacuation watch in Clackamas County, bags packed, ready to say goodbye to my childhood home and backyard forest. But they were lucky--the fire never reached the house, and they’re still there today. Others had it far worse. Many lost their lives. Others lost their homes, their livelihoods, their neighborhoods. Wildfire is a very real threat that puts all of us at risk, and climate change is making it worse. 

It’s time for Oregon to step up its game. The Wildfire Safe Bill would provide more resources to communities affected by wildfire and wildfire smoke, while also modernizing the way we reduce wildfire risk and respond to wildfires. Other western states--including our conservative neighbors over in Idaho--have already implemented similar common-sense protocols, and yet Oregon’s Republican lawmakers are trying to weaken this crucial bill and delay the process near the end of session. Thankfully Democrats are holding strong, but we need to make sure SB 762 passes without any further compromises. The legislative session has to end by this Sunday, June 27th, or sooner. Please take action: write an email to your lawmakers and ask them to pass SB 762 [[link removed]]! 

Thank you,
Francesca Varela
Communications Coordinator, OLCV

---- FWD: Original Message ----

Dear John,

I’m just going to be blunt: wildfire season is underway, and things aren’t looking good for Oregon.

Governor Brown already declared a drought emergency in nearly half of Oregon’s 36 counties. Our state is heading into a hot, dry summer. Portland experienced its driest meteorological spring on record. As I write this, a wildfire is currently raging in Warm Springs. It has burned over 6,200 acres thus far and is only ten percent contained. Meteorologists are projecting that smoke could roll into Portland as early as today. The need to create wildfire resilient communities could not be more urgent. We must demand our elected officials act now to keep Oregon safe from the most devastating impacts of wildfires [[link removed]].

Senate Bill 762 B, the Wildfire Safe Bill, is a smart, comprehensive policy our state needs to protect lives and property from wildfire, and to help us rebuild when wildfires occur. The current legislative session ends THIS Sunday, June 27th; this is our last week to get critical bills like the Wildfire Safe Bill over the finish line. Special interest groups are lobbying hard to get the bill watered down, making it all the more important that our elected officials hear from us today [[link removed]].

The Wildfire Safe Bill takes active steps to build wildfire resilience and response, making our communities safer, more prepared, and ready to respond to future wildfire events. It modernizes Oregon’s approach by:

- Making investments in community-driven restoration of forests and rangelands to reduce wildfire risk, protect lives and property, and increase landscape resiliency.
- Providing resources to protect vulnerable communities from wildfire smoke.
- Adding firefighter capacity and air defense resources to provide improved wildfire response and ensure firefighter safety.
- Ensuring safe and reliable electric utility systems before and during wildfire events.
- Establishing defensible space standards, and providing financial resources to protect communities and critical infrastructure.
- Creating the Oregon Wildfire Workforce Corps Program to reduce wildfire risk to communities and provide workforce training to the next generation of land managers.

Contact lawmakers about the Wildfire Safe Bill today [[link removed]]!

While we continue fighting for policies to help stave off the worst impacts of climate change, we also must enact policies that make our communities more resilient to the climate impacts we’re already experiencing. SB 762 B, the Wildfire Safe Bill, is one of these policies. Longer, more intense wildfire seasons are, sadly, our state’s new normal. We must prepare our communities for this new reality by passing SB 762 B.

Lawmakers are working at a feverish pace to get many important bills over the finish line; we can’t let this important piece of legislation get lost in the shuffle. Contact lawmakers today to tell them we need SB 762 B to make Oregon Wildfire Safe [[link removed]].

Sincerely,
Julia DeGraw
Coalition Director

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Oregon League of Conservation Voters
321 SW 4th Ave Ste 600
Portland, OR 97204
United States

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