SB 1584
Directs the Department of State Lands, in consultation with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, to develop a salmon credit pilot program to encourage the voluntary restoration of salmonid habitat in the Coquille and Coos watershed basins.
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Sign in to take actionPublic sentiment
Support
42%
Oppose
58%
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill directs the Department of State Lands to create a pilot program encouraging landowners in the Coquille and Coos watersheds to restore salmonid habitat. The program, supported by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, will establish a Salmon Credit Trust Fund and allow landowners to earn ‘salmon credits’ for habitat restoration projects. These credits can then be purchased by others to fulfill mitigation requirements, and landowners will receive dividends based on the credits retired. The program requires consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers to secure federal approval for a bank instrument.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsors
David Brock Smith
Cosponsor
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
Supporters of the Salmon Credit Bill SB 1584 agree that the legislation is crucial for salmon conservation and recovery, particularly given Oregon's delayed funding for habitat recovery. They argue that the bill will improve aquatic environments for fish, leading to increased returns of species, and emphasize its potential to convert low-productivity farmland into high-functioning salmonid habitat while encouraging landowner participation through incentives such as the Salmon Trust Dividend. Proponents also highlight the bill's innovative approach to protecting and expanding salmon habitat without increasing taxpayer burden, and suggest that it will create a groundswell of salmon habitat development in Oregon by monetizing rearing wild salmon for ranchers and farmers, utilizing private dollars and landowner involvement.
Source: Testimony Summaries
Arguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
Opponents of Senate Bill 1584 express concerns that the bill would prioritize constructed habitats over native functional habitat, which is insufficient for salmon survival and growth. They argue that this approach would lead to the destruction of functioning salmon habitat in hopes of offsetting damage through mitigation, without ensuring a net increase in habitat or addressing connectivity needs. Additionally, critics point out that the bill's removal/fill credit program is not aligned with sustainable water resource management, and that it could destabilize Oregon's regulatory and fiscal systems, hinder conservation efforts, and expand state government in an unfavorable way.
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