RARE Monday Mailing Year 27 | Issue 36 24 May 2021 1.
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“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” - Audre Lorde
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Oregon Fast Fact Oregon has over 200 ghost towns, more than any other state in the country. List of Oregon ghost towns.
Online SNAP Could Broaden Access, but More Work Needed First Blue Energy’s Big Future Advancing Racial Equity Through Land-Use Planning Labor Issues Hamper Buy American Ethos Bringing Beavers Back to the Beaver State Oregon Counties Vote to Secede to Idaho Utility Companies Get OK for Planned Outages in Oregon During 2021 Wildfire Season Oregon Will Require Businesses to Verify Vaccination Before Letting Customers Drop Masks Gov. Kate Brown Tells Oregonians: You Could Win $1 Million – But Only If You’re Vaccinated Against COVID-19 RESOURCE: Post-Wildfire Rebuilding and New Development in California Indicates Minimal Adaption to Fire Risk RESOURCE: Guide to Equitable, Community-Driven Climate Preparedness Planning
Online SNAP Could Broaden Access, but More Work Needed First
Food Tank Nearly all 50 states have opted into an online purchasing pilot for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While the program offers a safer way to shop and has the potential to overcome geographic barriers to food and nutrition insecurity, food system activists worry the pilot could fall short when it comes to equitable access for rural communities. Mandated by the 2014 Farm Bill, the pilot is testing the feasibility and implications of allowing retail food stores to accept SNAP benefits online. Eight states were selected in 2017 for the initial roll-out of the pilot. But as the COVID-19 pandemic drove retailers and shoppers to increasingly turn to online ordering and home delivery for groceries, USDA prioritized expanding the pilot to more states. Currently, all
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states but Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana have implemented an expedited online purchasing program. In general, Michel Nischan, co-founder and chairman of Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing nutrition insecurity, thinks the ability to use SNAP benefits online “has real powerful potential.” Geographic access is often a barrier for consumers to buy healthy food, Nischan tells Food Tank. Although a person may be able to buy food at a nearby corner store, the vendor may not offer healthy options, like fresh fruits and vegetables — and stores that do may be miles away. Read the full story.
2. Blue Energy’s Big Future
Oregon Business On May 11, the Biden administration approved the Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, the first large-scale offshore wind turbine construction in the country’s history. The following day, the Oregon House passed Senate Bill 333, which instructed the Department of Energy to do a study on the benefits and barriers to hydrogen energy production in the state. Republican Brock Smith, who co-sponsored the legislation, noted the ability of hydrogen cells to store offshore wind energy as a reason for supporting the legislation.
Support for renewable energy is nothing new for Oregon’s Legislature, but SB 333 had a quality uncommon to renewable energy legislation: support from both parties. Sustainability initiatives typically see opposition from Republicans. SB 333 passed unanimously. “As Oregon considers offshore wind development, there is the opportunity to use some of that clean power to make renewable hydrogen, which is a real economic development opportunity for coastal communities,” he said after the vote. Read the full story.
3. Advancing Racial Equity Through Land-Use Planning
American Planning Association – Planning Advisory Service In the fall of 2016, planning staff at the City of Minneapolis were developing the game plan for updating the city's comprehensive plan, a decennial ritual required by Minnesota statute for municipalities in the seven-county Twin Cities region. Initial research, public engagement, and behind-the-scenes conversations needed to frame this multiyear effort were complete, and the marching orders were clear: Develop a plan that addresses racial equity, housing affordability, and climate change — with racial equity at the top of the list.
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Fast forward two years and the result was a comprehensive plan that gained national attention for eliminating single-family zoning, making Minneapolis the first major city in the United States to make such a move. Many have asked: How did that happen? Read the full story.
4. Labor Issues Hamper Buy American Ethos
Oregon Business In 2017 a Reuters poll found 70% of consumers thought it was important to buy products made in the U.S. Despite that sentiment, 37% of respondents were unwilling to pay more for goods made in the U.S. Just 16% said they were willing to endure a 10% markup for American-made products. Perceptions have changed since then. In October 2020, a Reshoring Institute survey found half of buyers are willing to spend 10% more on U.S.-made products, and one-third of respondents said they were willing to pay 20% more. The cause of this shift is not entirely clear. Former President Trump’s protectionist agenda might have changed perceptions. Concerns over human rights abuses, the closures of U.S. manufacturing facilities and lack of environmental standards overseas may have also contributed. Read the full story.
5. Bringing Beavers Back to the Beaver State
Underscore C’waam and Koptu were once a staple meal for the Klamath Tribes. They’re a rarity now — members are allowed to catch only two of the suckerfish a year. The ray-finned C’waam, with its long snout and the smaller white-bellied Koptu, with a large head and lower notched lip, are only found in the Upper Klamath basin. Once fished in their thousands as one of the tribes’ important First Foods, the fish populations were decimated when the health of their spawning grounds declined from a spate of dam building in the Upper Klamath Lake during the 1900s. The lake has been plagued by toxic algae, which starve the fish of oxygen, and the tribes have seen suckerfish populations plummet from the tens of millions down to less than 45,000. They are now endangered. The C’waam, also known as Lost River sucker can grow up to almost 3 feet long, and weigh 10 pounds. The Koptu, also called the shortnose sucker, can reach 18 inches and live up to 30 years. The tribal government has tried various tactics to restore fish populations: raising young fish to older ages before releasing them in the lakes, monitoring water quality, working RARE AmeriCorps Program Monday Mailing | Page 3 of 6
with landowners to restore riparian habitat, and bringing a lawsuit, which was eventually dropped, against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to save the C’waam and Koptu. Now the tribes are turning to an unlikely hopeful savior: the beaver. Read the full story.
6. Oregon Counties Vote to Secede to Idaho
The Hill Voters in five rural Oregon counties approved measures on Tuesday to consider joining the state of Idaho, a part of a long-shot grassroots movement to break with a state dominated by liberal voters west of the Cascade Mountains. Voters in Malheur, Sherman, Grant, Baker and Lake counties all approved measures that would require county officials to take steps to promote moving the Idaho border west to incorporate their populations. Oregon voters favored President Biden over former President Trump by a 56 percent to 40 percent margin in 2020, but voters in those five rural counties gave between 69 percent and 79 percent of the vote to Trump. They join two other rural counties — Jefferson and Union — whose voters approved measures promoting a move to Idaho last year. Read the full story.
7. Utility Companies Get OK for Planned Outages in Oregon During 2021 Wildfire Season
KATU The Oregon Public Utility Commission has approved a set of temporary rules for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season, including controlled blackouts, otherwise referred to as "public safety power shutoffs" (PSPS). The rules cover the use of shutoffs, as well as utility reporting requirements. While it's a common measure taken in California during fire season, the use of PSPS is relatively new in Oregon. The first time the state saw one was in September of 2020 when thousands of residents near Mt. Hood had their power cut by Portland General Electric when fire risk became high with hot and windy conditions--branches and debris coming into contact with power lines could spark a blaze. The PUC said the power shutoff measure was a last resort, but one provided until "more expansive permanent rules are further developed." Read the full story. RARE AmeriCorps Program Monday Mailing | Page 4 of 6
8. Oregon Will Require Businesses to Verify Vaccination Before Letting Customers Drop Masks Business Insider Fully vaccinated Oregonians can now go mask-less in most places. But if you plan on heading to a private business, be prepared to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status.
On May 13, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fully vaccinated Americans will no longer have to mask up as rigorously in most indoor and outdoor locations. And shortly after, on May 18, Oregon updated its face mask and physical distancing protocols to match the CDC's overhauled guidelines. But unlike the CDC's announcement — which left private companies without much guidance — Oregon says workspaces, businesses, and "faith institutions" that want to lift their own mask mandate must have a policy in place for checking the COVID-19 vaccination status of mask-less visitors and patrons. This is a deviation from states like Florida, which have already banned local businesses from requiring proof of vaccination. Read the full story.
9. Gov. Kate Brown Tells Oregonians: You Could Win $1 Million – But Only If You’re Vaccinated Against COVID-19
The Oregonian Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday lottery prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million for Oregonians vaccinated against COVID-19 -- a strategy meant to address the dramatically decreasing numbers of residents inoculated each day. All residents 18 and older who’ve received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine by June 27 will be entered into the “Take Your Shot Oregon” lottery, which will be held on June 28. One lucky vaccinated Oregonian will receive a $1 million jackpot and 36 others -- one from each Oregon county -- will win $10,000 prizes. That means residents in the least populated counties -- tiny Wheeler County has just 1,440 residents -- will have a far better chance of winning a $10,000 prize than residents in the most populous counties. Multnomah County is the largest with about 830,000 residents. Read the full story.
10. RESOURCE – Post-Fire Rebuilding and New Development in California Indicates Minimal Adaption to Fire Risk
Science Direct, Journal of Land Use Policy Every year, wildfires destroy thousands of buildings in the United States, especially in the rapidly growing wildland-urban interface, where homes and wildland vegetation RARE AmeriCorps Program Monday Mailing | Page 5 of 6
meet or intermingle. After a wildfire there is a window of opportunity for residents and public agencies to re-shape patterns of development, and avoid development in locations that are inherently at higher risk of wildfire destruction. We examined 28 of the most destructive wildfires in California, the state where most buildings are destroyed by wildfires, to evaluate whether locations of rebuilt and newly constructed buildings were adaptive (i.e., if building occurred in lower risk areas). In total, these fires burned 7,075 buildings from 1970 to 2009. We found minimal evidence for adaptation both in the number and placement of buildings post-fire. Rebuilding was common: 58% of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt within three to six years, and 94% within thirteen to twenty-five years after the fire. Similarly, we found minimal trends toward lower risk areas in the placement of 2,793 rebuilt and 23,404 newly constructed buildings over the course of 13–25 yr. In fact, long-term data revealed that relative risk of new construction either did not change significantly over time or increased. A destructive wildfire could provide an opportunity to assess and change building practices, yet our results show that such change is largely not occurring. As wildfires increasingly threaten communities, this lack of change could result in growing rates of destruction and loss of life. Read the full article.
11. RESOURCE – Guide to Equitable, Community-Driven Climate Preparedness Planning
Adaptation Clearinghouse From the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), this guide is aimed at local government and outlines a framework for designing and implementing a communitydriven, equitable climate preparedness planning process. Community-driven planning empowers those experiencing the greatest climate risks to co-define the solutions. Rather than treating equity as a component of climate preparedness planning, this guide suggests that equity should be at the center of any adaptation approach. It outlines why traditional planning falls short of supporting equity, describes why climate change vulnerability is not evenly spread, and identifies how typical adaptation strategies can be reframed to focus on equity. Throughout the document, examples from cities are presented to showcase realworld applications. Access the guide.
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