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December 11, 2008

Working for Oregon: Eastern Region

Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Grant, Baker, Lake, Harney, Malheur

Growing Oregon's Economy

Federal transportation funding represents an important investment in Oregon's economy, and Senator Wyden has secured funding for several important regional transportation projects, including the Barnhart Road Extension in Umatilla County, improvements to Highway 140 in Lake County, and improvements to I-84 and US 20 between Bend and Ontario.

Senator Wyden believes that a bottom-up approach is the best way to foster economic growth in Oregon. As chairman of the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Committee, Senator Wyden led an economic development tour of the state that gave local businesses and community leaders an opportunity to share their ideas for fostering economic growth.  The tour included forums in Medford, Klamath Falls, Bend, Eugene, Newport, The Dalles, Pendleton, La Grande, and John Day that have helped shape economic development plans for the entire state.

Keeping Oregonians Healthy and Safe

In 2005, when the Department of Defense announced that it would consider moving dangerous chemical weapons materials across state lines and into Oregon, Senator Wyden joined with several colleagues in sponsoring legislation that prohibited the Department of Defense from funding the study. The measure effectively blocked the Department of Defense from transporting additional chemical weapons to the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Following years of devastating wildfires, Senator Wyden brokered a compromise wildfire prevention bill that sought to protect communities from catastrophic wildfires, restore unhealthy forests, and preserve old growth forests. The bill, known as the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, was signed into law in late 2003. Since then, Senator Wyden has led the fight to fully fund the hazardous fuels reduction work authorized by the law.

When U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld proposed shutting down the Portland-based 142nd Fighter Wing, Senator Wyden worked with state military leaders and local officials in a successful effort to have the proposal rejected. Eliminating the 142nd Fighter Wing would have left Oregon and all of the Northwest more vulnerable to attack.

Senator Wyden has been a leader in the fight against methamphetamine and has worked to give law enforcement officials, treatment providers and communities the tools they need to address this problem. He cosponsored and helped pass the Combat Meth Act, which provides law enforcement officials and prosecutors with resources to pursue and punish producers and distributors of methamphetamine. The bill also sought to increase community awareness of the methamphetamine problem and establishes new treatment options for those suffering from methamphetamine addiction. In addition, Senator Wyden has worked with state and local law enforcement officials to ensure that additional Oregon counties get designated as High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and thus receive more federal funds to fight against methamphetamine and other drugs.

Protecting Oregon's Treasures

In 2000, Senator Wyden joined with others in the Oregon Congressional delegation to pass the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act, and personally championed the effort to add nearly 175,000 acres to Oregon's protected wilderness lands.