House Joint Resolution 16 Oregon Laws 2009

AN ACT

          Whereas the State of Oregon is one of five Pacific Ocean coastal states; and

          Whereas the State of Oregon is committed to ensuring the long-term health of its coastal ocean and the fisheries therein, through the 2006 West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health; and

          Whereas the State of Oregon is a global leader for ocean research and employs one of the world’s foremost communities of ocean scientists at Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Oregon Health and Science University and other academic institutions and state agencies; and

          Whereas Oregon State University operates the scientific Research Vessel Wecoma through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, has operated research vessels continuously since 1958 and has a world-class research docking facility in the City of Newport; and

          Whereas the Research Vessel Wecoma has been witness to ground-breaking ocean research, including the discovery of hydrothermal vents and methane hydrates, the identification of coastal hypoxia and understanding coastal upwelling and its impact on coastal ecosystems; and

          Whereas the Research Vessel Wecoma is 34 years old and will be decommissioned in the next five years, whether it is replaced or not; and

          Whereas the only means of procuring a replacement vessel is by response to a United States Navy Request for Proposals in 2009 to operate a new Oceans Class Research Vessel; and

          Whereas that United States Navy Request for Proposals will specify the requirement for demonstrated state support; and

          Whereas all other coastal states provide support for scientific research vessels in the form of state-funded ship days used for the purposes of education, development of new research ideas and fostering partnerships between universities, industry and government agencies; and

          Whereas there will be fewer research vessels in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System fleet and hence the competition for those fewer replacement vessels will be extreme; and

          Whereas the federally funded operating budget of the Research Vessel Wecoma is presently $3.5 million per annum with an economic multiplier of eight, primarily spent in the State of Oregon, supporting economic activity of at least $12 million; and

          Whereas the operating budget of the new Oceans Class Research Vessel is anticipated to be $5 million beginning in 2014, with a proportionately higher return on investment to the state; and

          Whereas the State of Oregon will realize a taxable return of zero without a replacement vessel, and will suffer economically from the loss of jobs and industry associated with the operation, maintenance and upkeep of a research vessel, including the loss of seagoing oceanographers from the state; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:

          That we, the members of the Seventy-fifth Legislative Assembly, recognize the responsibility of the role of the coastal State of Oregon in providing leadership in this nation’s stewardship of the oceans and that the loss of Research Vessel Wecoma without a replacement is a net economic loss to Oregon, and therefore resolve to support the operation of a new Oceans Class Research Vessel, to be obtained through competitive proposal to the United States Navy, in the amount of $500,000 per annum beginning in 2014 or at the time the new Oceans Class Research Vessel becomes operational.

Filed in the office of Secretary of State May 21, 2009

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