NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: Back to the Interim Lifestyle

By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

3/18/2024
Dear Neighbors and Friends,

No sooner had the gavel come down concluding the 2024 short session and I was on an airplane headed for Washington DC.

I had been asked to join a delegation from Newport advocating for federal funds to repair their aging wastewater system. And it was not lost on me that I’d spent the session successfully working to send state money to 50 water and wastewater projects around Oregon. Newport didn’t make the list because their project was system improvements rather than capacity to build new homes.

Newport’s problem is that they are much more than a town of 10,000 residents. A third of their workforce arrives each day from outside the city. And on any given summer weekend, the population swells to 50,000 with visitors who enjoy the coast but also wash and flush toilets. Water infrastructure in Newport supports the people who live here, the people who work here, and the people who visit here. And equally important, we sustain the fishing fleet, the fish processing industry, and a world-class research hub including Hatfield and NOAA in South Beach that is on the front line of confronting ocean acidification, warming and rising waters, oxidation, and a host of other issues that make up the global climate challenge. We need water treatment. And Oregon needs for us to have water treatment.

Not long ago, I went to DC seeking money to augment local funds and state contributions needed to replace the very old and seismically vulnerable Big Creek Dams. That trip was successful. And now we were back asking for help to treat water that had been used and needed to be treated before we returned it to nature.

We flew early Monday, met with our senators and congressmen on Tuesday, met several more Oregon representatives on Wednesday, and flew home Wednesday night. We presented our “ask”. And now we wait to see what makes the federal lists. I flew home tired but confident we gained influential allies in this particular effort.

Mayor Jan Kaplan, Councilor CM Hall, City Engineer Chris Bradley, and I visited with Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Congresswoman Hoyle, and Congressmembers Salinas and Blumenauer.

I arrived home after midnight on Wednesday and was on-site at 8:30 Thursday for the Lincoln County Economic Summit.

About 75 people attended the conference sponsored by the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County at the Otter Crest Resort. Through the course of the day, we networked and heard from local business owners, local legislators, economists, and from Ben Winchester, zooming in from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Winchester is a sociologist who focuses on rural data. He shared a number of Oregon Coast observations that often conflicted with popular perceptions.

The population of rural areas is not shrinking and has actually increased 11 percent since 1970. However, urban areas grew faster by spreading out into once-rural areas and creating suburbs.
Newcomers to rural areas are seeking a simpler pace of life, safety and security, and lower housing costs. “Nowhere in the Top 10 reasons for moving was because of a job.”
Newcomers to rural areas weren’t just moving “back home,” as many think. Some 75 percent of new rural residents had never previously lived in the area.
County boundaries that governments rely on today were created “in the time of horse and buggies” and do not reflect how people live today. People live more regionally, commuting in and out of rural communities to work, shop and seek services. Just 54 percent of Lincoln County’s workforce also lives in the county.
People move all the time. “On average, Americans move 12 times in their lifetimes” including in and out of rural communities.
The number of rural nonprofits and volunteers is increasing, not decreasing. But they are engaged in new or different endeavors, especially “interest-based” activities. “This is not the story of social life dying, but the story of social life diversifying.”
Half of the homes in Lincoln County are owned by people 65 and older. There could be a big surge in housing turnover as those people die or are forced to move closer to family or care.

Rural communities have issues, he said. But they’re because of long-term societal changes that have been occurring since towns were first established. And urban areas have issues too – it’s just that they’re often different and well-publicized.

To hear more from Ben Winchester about rural changes, go here. To learn more about the Summit, see this story in the Yachats News.

And stay tuned for news of the Coastal Caucus Economic Summit scheduled for May 7^th.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced last month it was moving forward with plans for offshore wind power installations off Coos Bay and Brookings.

In response, I crafted a letter from the Coastal Caucus again asking that BOEM slow down and work with coastal communities, coastal industries, and Tribes to ensure attention to our ocean environment, the productivity of the fishing fleet, cultural concerns, and onshore livability. We want the renewable energy, I said. We want the jobs. And we want to make sure we get it right.

I then signed on as a chief sponsor of HB 4080 to create an Oregon road map on standards for offshore wind energy. Without the provisions in HB 4080, Oregon’s communities, Tribes, fisheries, coastal cities, and businesses have no statute-defined seat at the table to inform the Federal government on how Offshore Wind projects should roll out in our state.

Now three of Oregon’s congressional members are pushing the federal government to extend the comment period on the two proposed wind power projects off the southern Oregon Coast.

Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle said residents need more time according to input they’ve received. In a letter on Tuesday, they asked the agency’s director, Elizabeth Klein, to extend the comment period to give Oregonians who would be affected by the offshore sites a chance to fully engage in the process.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Final Oregon Wind Areas along the southern coast contain nearly 200,000 acres. The final wind energy areas would begin about 18 miles offshore outside of Coos Bay and 32 miles offshore outside of Brookings.

Taking more time and reviewing these siting decisions is exactly what the Coastal Caucus asked for. I’m pleased with our congressional delegation. And I encourage residents to comment as clearly and effectively as they are able. But frankly, I’m concerned that comments are not being listened to.

Spring Whale Watch Week is back from March 23-31. Through late winter to June, an estimated 14,500 gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores during their annual migration back to Alaska, according to Oregon State Parks.

Volunteers will be at 15 whale-watching sites along the Oregon Coast between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day to help people spot whales and to share information and answer questions. The Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the whole week. The center features interactive whale exhibits and panoramic ocean views with binoculars provided to visitors.

What makes this year’s Spring Whale Watch Week different are the better odds of spotting more whales, as the spring event is three days longer than in 2023.

And it signals good news for the whales themselves. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the end of an Unusual Mortality Event, a significant die-off of the eastern North Pacific gray whales’ population, which have affected them since 2019.

“The latest counts indicate that the gray whale population has likely turned the corner and is beginning to recover. It’s a perfect time for people to see them as they swim north with new calves to feed,” said Michael Milstein, public affairs officer with NOAA Fisheries.

Learn more about Whale Watch Week here .

Saturday I was up again early to meet with Senator Wyden for a Newport visit to the Hatfield Center and NOAA. He then came to Lincoln City for a well-attended town hall. Questions ranged from offshore wind energy, trees’ role in absorbing carbon, mail voting, to the situation in the Middle East. When so many congressmen are hiding from their constituents, it is good to see our representatives out there taking all questions and meeting with the public.

I then came home briefly to pick up Susie and change into my formal wear for a black-tie fundraising gala benefitting the Children’s Advocacy Center and Samaritan House in Lincoln County. Didn’t she look spectacular!

People ask me if I’m getting to relax at all now that session is over. Hardly! We’ve just shifted from daily trips to Salem to a variety of meetings, tours, openings and occasions throughout the district. The mileage is about the same but the faces are different!

Monday (today) I’m attending a tour of NW Natural’s training center and hydrogen project in Sherwood. Later in the early evening, I’ll be presenting to the Newport City Council.

Wednesday I’m home while my car gets an overdue service. Wednesday I’ll be back in Salem for some important caucus meetings. Thursday I’ll zoom with the Oregon Innovation Council and immediately after, the legislative Oversight and Accountability Workgroup. Later in the day I hope to attend the Artsake Gallery Business After Hours in Newport.

Friday I’m back to Newport for the Oregon Ocean Science Trust and Sunday, Susan and I will be at the Orchestra at the Ocean in the Performing Arts Center.

I’m pleased to be home after a successful session and I look forward to seeing you on my travels.