Please help stop a public land grab that puts Mt. Hood’s forests, rivers, fish, and wildlife at risk.
Passed by the House of Representatives with little fanfare in early December, HR 655 is a dangerous bill that would transfer 150 acres of federal public land from the Mt. Hood National Forest, including water from the Dog River that flows off Mt. Hood into the Hood River, to the City of the Dalles, home to a growing Google data center campus with skyrocketing water and energy needs. The bill would put the forests, rivers, fish, and wildlife of the Mt. Hood National Forest at risk were it to become law, and set a dreadful precedent for the use of our federal public lands.
For months, opponents of HR 655 waited for the bill to be heard before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in order to submit comments. While we were disappointed to learn HR 655 was granted a hearing on July 15th in the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, which falls under the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, it does provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in with our opposition to HR 655.
Introduced by Representative Cliff Bentz of Oregon’s 2nd congressional district, which includes the entirety of Eastern Oregon and the Rogue Valley, WaterWatch of Oregon and a coalition of angling, land-use, and conservation organizations shared a letter of concern about HR 655 with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley in February, and the coalition has had their respective members make their opposition to the bill known to the senators, both of whom appear to have more than received the message.
Using the letter below as a “copy and paste” template, submit your testimony opposing HR 655 to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee now. The email address to send it to is fortherecord@energy.senate.gov.
Be sure to include your name and address, and note that your testimony is in response to HR 655 and the July 15th subcommittee meeting on the bill. Please urge the committee to oppose HR 655 and its reckless impacts on fish, cold water flows, public land, and public oversight.
Dear Chairman Barrasso, Ranking Member Cortez Masto, and Members of the U.S Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining,
As an Oregonian, I wholly oppose HR 655. The proposed transfer of 150 acres of federal public land from the Mt. Hood National Forest to the City of The Dalles is terrible policy that sets a terrible precedent for our federal public lands.
This bill is an end-run around public engagement and oversight, and an attack on water, forests, public lands, and the protection of endangered species that puts the interests of a wealthy corporation and their political allies ahead of the interests of everyday Oregonians.
The rules that safeguard Oregon’s salmon, water, and outdoors are not simply “red tape” to be eliminated in the name of expediency. They exist for a reason. Circumventing them in HR 655 is unacceptable.
We urge you to stand with Oregonians and the rules that protect our fish, water, conservation values, and the ability for the public to participate in decisions affecting public lands. These rules are vital to preserving the natural treasures that make Oregon a special place to live, work, and raise a family.
Please reject passage of HR 655.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[ your name ]
[ your mailing address ]
Anger and anxiety have been growing for months in Oregon, and around the west, over the rampant explosion of data center construction. Hillsboro, Boardman, The Dalles, and other Oregon communities have all felt the effects of data centers and their resultant impacts on water. In the immediate path of HR 655 is a junior instream water right on the Dog River that supports multiple runs of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed fish between it and the Hood River that will be significantly affected. It is intolerable that HR 655 would simply jettison these reasonable and measured restrictions, designed to help ensure the survival of native fish listed under the ESA, all in the name of “cutting red tape.” No way. Not in Oregon.
From water bills to nitrate contamination to the survival of our state’s iconic runs of native fish, submitting comments also give Senator Wyden, who serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, ammunition he can take back to D.C. and share with his fellow committee members about how Oregonians are fed up and entirely opposed to HR 655 and its destructive, reckless impacts on water, endangered fish, cold water flows, public land, and public oversight.
Please share this with your family and friends and take action NOW to advocate for fish, cold water, and Mt. Hood. A committee vote on HR 655 is expected soon.
Banner photo of Mt. Hood and triptych photo of Cold Spring Creek (Dog River tributary) by Tommy Hough, salmon photo courtesy of Mark Hereford / Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Dog River trail sign photo courtesy of the Mt. Hood National Forest.
