December 16, 2008
Working for Oregon: Northwest Region
Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, Multnomah, Yamhill, Clackamas, Marion, Lincoln, Polk, Benton, Linn
Keeping Oregonians Healthy and Safe
After reading reports about the excessively high levels of benzene – a known carcinogen – found in Oregon’s gasoline, Senator Wyden mounted a campaign to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt a standard for benzene that didn't "turn the Northwest into an environmental sacrifice zone." After months of unrelenting pressure, the EPA agreed to institute a nationwide cap on the amount of benzene in gasoline that would reduce benzene levels in the Northwest by threefold.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 were designated as High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and thus were eligible to receive more federal funds to fight against methamphetamine and other drugs.
Protecting Oregon's Treasures
With his other colleagues from the Northwest, Senator Wyden worked to expand Fort Clatsop and incorporate it into the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in time for the bicentennial celebration of the Lewis and Clark expedition.To safeguard Portland's primary municipal water supply, Senator Wyden worked with Senator Mark Hatfield to provide permanent protection for the pure water in the Bull Run Management Unit. Later he coauthored the Little Sandy Protection Act, which expanded the protection to the southern portion of the Little Sandy Basin and created an additional 98,272 acres of protected area.
He also succeeded as a House member in passing the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area Act. Today the Forest Service has acquired over 35,000 acres of land that otherwise would have been developed were it not for the protection of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area Act.
Senatosr Wyden and Smith have also introduced the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007, which would protect nearly 125,000 acres surrounding Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. The legislation builds on previous efforts to establish a Mount Hood wilderness area and it incorporates the comments and advice offered by over 100 community groups and local governments, members of the Oregon Congressional delegation, the governor and the Bush administration.
Growing Oregon's Economy
Federal transportation funding represents an important investment in Oregon's economy, and Senator Wyden has helped secure funds for several important regional transportation projects, including the MAX light rail and commuter rail, the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, the Sunrise Corridor project, and Highway 22 improvements in Polk County.As the author of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, Senator Wyden sought to create more jobs for Oregon in the areas of nano- and microtechnology. He has also secured tens of millions of dollars in federal research and development funding for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), a collaborative effort among Oregon's three public research universities (the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the state of Oregon, and the private sector.
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.