SOCAN Testimony in support of HB3170

Photo Credit Alan Journet – Consequences of the 2020 Almeda Fire in Talent, Oregon

Alan R.P. Journet Ph.D.
Cofacilitator
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
February 1st 2025

Testimony in support of HB3170

Chair Lively and members of the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment:

I write as cofacilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now, an organization of some 2,000 Southern Oregonians who are concerned about the climate crisis and encourage state action to address it. As rural and coastal Southern Oregonians, we live on the frontlines of the warming, reducing snowpack, heatwaves, drought, rising sea level and the increasing wildfire risk that these trends conspire to impose on us. Because of this, we pay close attention to what is happening in the state legislature that relates to climate.

We are well aware that local communities, especially rural communities, are often ill-equipped and ill-funded to address disasters that are becoming increasingly prevalent as global warming and its climate change consequences become ever more threatening and evident. Even discounting the wildfires and extreme weather that climate chaos is generating, the threat of a serious 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake that could turn much of western Oregon into rubble. As Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management states (OEM undated): “With the current preparedness levels of Oregon, we can anticipate being without services and assistance for at least two weeks, if not longer, when the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake occurs. While this will be difficult to overcome, individuals, businesses, schools, government and communities can take steps to prepare.” Meanwhile, Allan and Gabel in a DOGAMI (2022) Fact Sheet suggest that “the central Oregon coast could experience coastal subsidence that ranges from 3 to 6 feet.” Reporting on recent studies, Bourgeois (2024) reported University of Oregon seismologist Diego Melgar as stating: “…imagine not being able to stand for three, four, five minutes and imagine the forces that our buildings, and bridges, and dams have to put up with in order to weather that event,” In short, Oregon is peculiarly prone to an array of serious disasters that could render many communities, especially rural communities, desperately in need of disaster relief.

In 2023, SOCAN supported HB3016 creating a Community Green Infrastructure Grant Program at the Department of Land Conservation and Development.

We continue our support for the concept of promoting resilient communities as they prepare to withstand disasters when they may be isolated for several weeks as we support HB3170 and urge the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment to vote ‘Do Pass’ on this proposal.

Respectfully Submitted

Alan Journet Ph.D.

7113 Griffin Lane
Jacksonville
OR 97530-4182
alan@socan.eco
541-500-2331
541-301-4107

References Cited:

Bourgeois M. 2024 Cascadia Subduction Zone study reveals area at particular risk for massive quake. Watch Now. Koin 5 News. https://www.koin.com/news/environment/earthquakes/cascadia-subduction-zone-study-earthquake-quake-pacific-northwest-june-2024/

DOGAMI 2022 DOGAMI Fact Sheet Cascadia Earthquake Knowledge Points for Emergency Managers and the Public. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/fs/cascadia-planning-for-em-and-public.pdf

OEM undated. Hazards and Preparedness. Oregon Department of Emergency Management. https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/pages/cascadia-subduction-zone.aspx