Factual background and legislative updates on key issues facing Jackson County.
The natural landscape of District 3 is both our greatest asset and our most complex management challenge. The devastating memory of the 2020 Almeda Drive Fire—which swept through Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, and Medford, destroying thousands of homes and businesses—underscores the urgent need for emergency resilience and effective wildfire management in the Rogue Valley.
Furthermore, the Rogue Valley regularly experiences 'smoke seasons' in the summer, where smoke from regional wildfires settles in the basin, impacting air quality, local agriculture (especially vineyards in the Applegate Valley), and the tourism economy, including the outdoor stage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
Water rights and drought management present an equally difficult challenge in our region. With dry summers and low snowpacks, the Talent Irrigation District (TID) and other local water managers must constantly balance the competing needs of agricultural farmers, municipal drinking water supplies, and environmental regulations to protect native fish populations.
This is a broad issue. Select a specific topic below to explore the details and share your feedback on that specific area:
These are real bills currently moving through the Oregon Senate related to this issue. Read the details and cast your vote below.
This Act says that makers of batteries must carry out a plan to collect and recycle batteries. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.1). Requires pr...
The Act says certain tax is not owed for land that does not qualify for forest special assessment due to pests or disease. The Act says the...
The Act would have Business Oregon make a plan to boost industrial symbiosis, which means the use of the resources of one firm by a second f...
This Act makes owners of bulk oils and liquid fuels terminals show they can cover the costs of oil or fuel spills. (Flesch Readability Score...