Repeal of Oregon wildfire risk map advances forward

SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — A bill repealing a controversial wildfire hazard map will go to the Senate floor for a vote.

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources unanimously voted to lift the bill out of committee Tuesday.

“Today is a milestone in our wildfire journey. As a whole, SB 762 programs have great support across the state, but the hazard map, which flunked the basic common-sense test for so many property owners, had Oregonians angry and divided,” said State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-District 3, who is also the chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. “Repealing the map clears the way to good collaborative programs on the ground. Now the challenge is to fund them at the levels we need.”

The wildfire hazard map, created by Senate Bill 762 in 2021, was meant to identify areas in Oregon with high wildfire risk. The map requires stricter building codes and defensible space modifications for close to 100,000 properties in areas considered high risk.

Rural Oregonians have had issues with the map since its creation. Residents have said the map has decreased property values and imposed unaffordable restrictions on private property owners.

"I heard from folks across the state about just how fearful they were that the wildfire maps were going to force them out of their homes," said House Minority Leader Christine Drazan. "It made it almost impossible for them to sell their homes, and it made it much harder for them to hold on to insurance that they could afford."

Some have said that their insurance rates have increased due to the map's risk assessment of their properties.

However, insurance companies are prohibited by law from using the map to set rates.

Jackson County Commissioner Colleen Roberts said she knows of some people in her county who have lost their insurance policies, but she is not sure if there were extenuating circumstances.

"I think insurance companies are concerned about their viability over the whole wildfire issue," said Roberts.

Golden said there was a sharp increase in insurance rates right around the time the map was first released. He added that there is no connection between this rise and the map's release.

"You know, we argue forever with people that the maps drove that. It did not, but folks are skeptical. But pretty much everybody who's having trouble with insurance would have those same troubles if these maps hadn't been developed," he said.

Golden said there will be no more appeal periods as the maps are likely to be repealed. KATU asked the senator if he feels it's reasonable to call the map a mistake.

"I think the idea of having a map to know where to put resources, I think that's sound. I think reliance on a model which may be state of the art but doesn't take into consideration at all the characteristics of a specific property and then calls that property high hazard. That was a mistake," said Golden.

Senate and House Republicans celebrated the potential elimination of the map.

State Sen. David Brock Smith (R-District 1) said in a statement, “Today is a good day for rural Oregonians. With SB 83 passing out of committee, we are one step closer to reversing the devastating impacts of SB 762’s wildfire maps that we have been trying to overturn for years. I am grateful to the thousands of residents who brought the needed pressure for us to move this forward and to my colleagues for their support of these efforts for our residents."

READ ALSO: Repeal of Oregon's controversial wildfire hazard map moves closer

During a public hearing, Drazan said this bill gives the Legislature a chance to work together across the aisle to “make this right for Oregonians.”

When asked about what "make this right" meant, Drazan said we need to hold the right agencies accountable and allow Oregonians to live where they choose.

"When I say, 'Make this right,' I mean restore the appropriate responsibility where it belongs, which is to give that responsibility to manage our forests back to the state and federal government and allow for homeowners to take voluntary actions that don't force them out of their homes," said Drazan. "We don't want everybody to have to live in Portland, in Beaverton, down the I-5 corridor. People should be able to live where they choose in our state."

Senate Bill 83 will repeal only the wildfire hazard map. Several aspects of Senate Bill 762 will remain in effect. These include grants for wildfire risk reduction, video cameras in rural areas to detect smoke and fire activity, smoke shelters for people with respiratory issues, and more.

"I would say 762 as a whole is a fantastic program, except for the hazard maps," said Golden. "It did have this very large hiccup with the hazard maps, and removing them with Senate Bill 83, I think, is going to allow us to really move forward with the unity that we need."

This bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote.