RRI Green Planning Archives: USA—Oregon
(current to 2000)

Case Study: Oregon: On The Green Plan Path

As is the case in most western states, Oregon's economy has depended heavily on its rich natural resources; logging, fishing, and other resource-extractive industries have until recently been the state's economic mainstay. However, many of these resources have now been over-exploited and are no longer as productive as in the past; increases in environmental protections and industrial mechanization have also led to a decline in these industries' importance to Oregon's economy and jobs base.

The potential for green planning to progress in Oregon is significant. The state has been a national leader on environmental issues: the first state to introduce a bottle bill, and the first to institute statewide urban growth boundaries. A recent attempt to create a collaborative roundtable tasked with examining sustainability in the state was unfortunately halted in the state legislature; however many of the seeds of succesful green planning exist in Oregon.

1. Development of Environmental Policy

In the late 1980s, Oregon began experimenting with some progressive, strategic policies to address issues of environmental and economic decline. It developed indicators to measure the state's quality of life in such areas as the environment, education, health, and employment. In 1989 it launched a strategic planning effort to come up with a comprehensive plan for the state's future. Called "Oregon Shines," the plan set five, ten, fifteen, and twenty-year goals in three categories: people, economy, and quality of life. Approximately 35 goals dealt with environmental issues ranging from carbon dioxide emissions to wetlands and forest preservation, transportation, and water quality. Progress on these goals is measured through the "Oregon Benchmarks" program.

Oregon has also developed some innovative programs designed to encourage businesses to become more sustainable. In 1997 the state legislature approved the Green Permits program, which allows the state Environmental Quality Commission to use innovative approaches to permitting. One approach it is experimenting with is an environmental management system similar to the ISO 14001 certification system

Restoration of salmon to Oregon's waterways has also been the focus of innovation recently (see discussion below). The Oregon Salmon Plan represents an unprecedented undertaking on the part of the State of Oregon to restore the state's salmon and trout resources. Their goal is to restore populations and fisheries to productive and sustainable levels that will provide substantial environmental, cultural, and economic benefits.

Environmental Monitoring in Oregon

Over time, Oregon has emerged as a leader in environmental reporting and monitoring. The state has a range of reports with indicators on the state of the state's environment, economy, and society.

As part of the 'Oregon Shines' strategic planning process, the Oregon Progress Board adopted a set of societal outcomes called the Oregon Benchmarks. The 1991 Benchmarks identified 158 indicators of progress including 28 that were considered high priority.

There are a range of environmental indicators in the Oregon Benchmarks report. In the latest 1999 Benchmarks report (See: Executive Summary [Note: this is a pdf file.]) high priority environmental benchmarks included: air quality standards (improving); agricultural, forest, and wetland preservation (improving); and wild salmon and steelhead restoration (declining).

A state of the environment report has been proposed for the state of Oregon. The Oregon Stewardship Committee recently proposed the development of a State of the Environment report that would focus on defining indicators of sustainability and developing benchmarks to measure the progress of achieving sustainability. This report is being prepared by a group of scientists, tasked by the Oregon Progress Board, to assess and track the conditions of a variety of key ecosystems.

Overall, the Oregon Benchmarks program is a national model in setting a framework for continuous improvement of government agency activities, with a focus on "[encouraging] state and local government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit and citizen groups to use the Benchmarks in their planning and reporting." This includes cross-linking of environmental agency activities to environmental benchmarks.

Toward an Oregon Green Plan

An attempt was made in early 1999 to commence a process toward a green plan for the state of Oregon. In March 1999, a bill to develop a green plan for Oregon was introduced to the State legislature. As reported in the Portland Business Journal on March 15, 1999: "Patterned after "green plans" in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, House Bill 3135 seeks to put Oregon on a path not yet taken by other states toward eco-leadership."

The proposal was designed to:

• Establish a new state goal of sustainable development.
• Require each state environmental and natural resource agency to adopt an integrated set of goals, measurable objectives and benchmarks to achieve the new state goal.
• Require each agency to institute outcome-based management and regulatory tracks to provide incentives and flexibility to the private sector and communities to achieve the goals.

"If the bill passes, the first step will be the creation of a task force charged with examining the state of the environment", reported the Business Journal. "The task force will determine what types of effects various industries, companies and the general public have on natural resources, will explore sustainable development possibilities and will make recommendations to the 2001 Legislature."

The introduction of this legislation followed a 1996 RRI sponsored visit to the Netherlands of multi-sectoral leaders from Oregon. RRI also brought a delegation of Dutch business leaders to speak in Oregon in March 1997.

Unfortunately, the bill was killed in the Oregon house before a full debate on the merits of green planning in Oregon could be held. However, RRI recently lead the way in introducing similar legislation in the state of New York, and is reviewing the Oregon testimony for lessons learned in bringing the green planning vision to states across the U.S. RRI has placed the Oregon legislation on its website, at: Oregon Legislation.

In 2000, Governor Kitzhaber of Oregon announced an Executive Order to secure a sustainable future for the state.

2. Innovative Environmental Management Programs

Oregon's Plan for Salmon Restoration

Oregon has developed a wide range of programs focused on managing their natural environment through an ecosystem and watershed based approach. Fisheries, forests, and even economic development are managed with ecosystems in mind.

In Oregon, the Salmon Restoration Plan, launched in 1997, is the program which most closely resembles a green plan, albeit on a small scale. When the federal government was preparing to list Oregon's coastal coho salmon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the state developed a plan to enlist voluntary citizen cooperation in restoring the salmon's habitat, arguing that because so much of the habitat involved private property, a concerted voluntary effort would be the most effective way to ensure success. The federal government agreed to defer listing the fish for three years; since then it has also agreed to defer listing the state's steelhead salmon.

The state government wanted to avoid a federal listing not only because of the regulatory controls it imposes on an area, but also because it would mean endless litigation and conflict, and as Governor John Kitzhaber put it, "The fish do not have the time for us to litigate." Though unexpected, in August of 1998, the federal government listed the Coho Salmon as an endangered species under the ESA. Depite the fear that listing the Coho would jeopardize the coalitions already in place under Kitzhaber's plan, recent analysis shows no conflict. The west coast's wild salmon populations have deep cultural and symbolic significance to the inhabitants of Oregon, Washington, and California; the threat of their loss has been a strong motivator for community participation in restoration efforts.

The Salmon Restoration Plan is a comprehensive, watershed-based strategic plan to restore, monitor, and preserve the watershed ecosystems upon which the salmon depend. It involves concerted efforts by federal land managers, state agencies, 81 new citizen watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, cities, counties, businesses, and private landowners. Projects include wetlands restoration, erosion control, water conservation efforts, urban riparian habitat restoration, reduction of non-point source pollution, control of hatchery salmon stock and exotic fish species, and catch-and-release programs for wild salmon. Federal and state agencies responsible for dams and hydroelectric projects have initiated measures to manage stream flows for the maximum benefit to fish. Resource assessments, specific watershed action plans, and monitoring programs are also part of the comprehensive package.

Although spearheaded by government, primary responsibility for carrying out many of the plan's restoration efforts lies with local businesses, community groups, and residents. Government provides a comprehensive framework, coordinating mechanisms, and legal and regulatory measures, as well as some monitoring and enforcement activities. Funding comes from both public and private sources.

A first-year report on the plan, issued in May 1998, was mixed but encouraging. Noting the immense challenges involved in the effort, the report praised the establishment of the 81 watershed councils and the fact that more than 1.200 restoration projects had been conducted in the plan's first year, many of them on the initiative of private landowners. Road culvert improvements opened up about 400 miles of streams to the fish. On the down side, the report said that there is still no method for assessing the projects' effectiveness, long-term financing remains uncertain, and communication and cooperation among state agencies is still problematic. In addition, the report said, some sectors of the business community, particularly agriculture, have yet to join the effort.

Oregon's Salmon Plan has been in place for only two years, yet it has made significant progress despite the difficult institutional and social barriers it faces. Whether or not it will ultimately be successful remains to be seen, but it is far from clear that an Endangered Species Act listing would have been more effective in so short a period. Most hopefully, there is talk around the state about using the plan as a model for managing other resources-the governor has mentioned it in the context of the Willamette River Valley, the hub of the state's population and economy as well as one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation. Some groups have even seen it as a potential model for a green plan for the entire state.

Sustainable Communities

Oregon is a national leader in regard to sustainable communities. In 1973, Oregon became the first state in the nation to adopt a comprehensive, statewide land use planning program. Oregon encourages smart development, promotes community based design through the Transportation and Growth Management Program, and supports regional planning through regional legislative bodies.

The Portland Metro regional government comprehensively plans for the Portland metropolitan region. Comprehensive planning is strongly supported throughout the rest of the state.

3. Assessment And Future Directions

Oregon shows great promise in regard to setting a new benchmark in green planning at the state level in the U.S. The work of the Environmental Stewardship Council will continue to be monitored by RRI; it is our belief that this group has made the all important first step of commencing a discussion on the merits of green planning in their state. The legislative setback must be looked at within a broader context; it is important to remember that early on in the Netherlands' green planning process a similar setback occured. In time, agriculture and industry realized that there really were advantages in seeing a green plan emerge. RRI will continue to monitor developments in the "Beaver State," and will regularly update this website as the state progresses along the green planning path.