72nd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2003 Regular Session
 
 
                            Enrolled
 
                        House Memorial 1
 
Sponsored by Representative RICHARDSON; Representatives ANDERSON,
  FARR, GARRARD, GILMAN, MABREY, MORGAN, PATRIDGE
 
 
To the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United
  States of America, in Congress assembled:
  We, your memorialists, the House of Representatives of the
State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled, respectfully
represent as follows:
  Whereas in the late 1960s the need for a long-term water plan
in southern Oregon was recognized; and
  Whereas the federal government responded to this need by
directing the United States Army Corps of Engineers to construct
three dams in the Rogue River Basin; and
  Whereas the Lost Creek and Applegate River Dams have been
completed and the Elk Creek Dam project must be completed to
secure the future of southern Oregon; and
  Whereas the southern Oregon region needs a sound water policy
that balances ecology and economics; and
  Whereas the completed Elk Creek Dam will comply with Endangered
Species Act requirements because funding was secured for a
permanent trap-and-haul facility at the site to ensure that
endangered fish can move upstream through Elk Creek; and
  Whereas the completed dam will provide sufficient water flows
to salmon and other fish, especially during periods of drought;
and
  Whereas the Rogue River Basin is vulnerable to flooding; and
  Whereas Elk Creek Dam's water retention capabilities would help
avoid expensive flooding damage that has been experienced in the
past by providing flood abatement; and
  Whereas Elk Creek Dam will provide a regional source of
electrical power, and it would be wise to upgrade southern
Oregon's electrical power generation infrastructure because
society is vulnerable to terrorist attacks on electrical power
sources and transmission towers, and southern Oregon has been
threatened with power shortages due to extreme California power
demands; and
  Whereas Oregon's economy depends on its natural resources and
Oregon suffers one of the highest unemployment rates in the
country; and
  Whereas food production is a key source of jobs for southern
Oregon, and additional irrigation water will boost farm
production and create new agricultural jobs; and
  Whereas the completion of Elk Creek Dam will provide jobs to
southern Oregon workers that need employment; and
  Whereas Lost Creek and Applegate Dams are enjoyed by thousands
of hikers, campers, boaters and anglers every year; and
  Whereas broadening the region's recreational resource base will
lessen the strain on the environment that surrounds other
recreational locations; and
  Whereas the completion of Elk Creek Dam will provide
spectacular recreational facilities to help meet the needs of
southern Oregon's rapidly expanding population; and
 
 
Enrolled House Memorial 1 (HM 1-A)                         Page 1
 
 
 
  Whereas the Rogue River Valley has seen unprecedented growth;
and
  Whereas legal challenges may result in the loss of more than
30,000 acre-feet of surface water; and
  Whereas a recent study showed that the region cannot supply the
water needed for irrigation in any year drier than an ' average
water year'; and
  Whereas completion of the Elk Creek Dam is essential to
providing our citizens with a consistent level of services in
future years; now, therefore,
 
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
  Oregon:
 
  (1) The House of Representatives of the Seventy-second
Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon respectfully requests
that the construction of the Elk Creek Dam be approved, funded
and completed, that the dam's design be modified to include an
electrical power generation capability and that bid requirements
for dam construction favor contractors that hire local workers.
  (2) The House of Representatives of the Seventy-second
Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon urges the Oregon
Congressional Delegation to advocate that the construction of the
Elk Creek Dam be approved, funded and completed, that the dam's
design be modified to include an electrical power generation
capability and that bid requirements for dam construction favor
contractors that hire local workers.
  (3) A copy of this memorial shall be sent to each member of the
Oregon Congressional Delegation.
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                                 Adopted by House March 31, 2003
 
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                                      Chief Clerk of House
 
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                                        Speaker of House
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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