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Candidates for Governor of both political parties are in agreement on a most important issue facing the next legislative session, which is the need to eliminate many regulations which make it hard for business to operate in Oregon. I agree, and suggest one place to start is with overly restrictive and arbitrary land use regulations which have been imposed on landowners over the last thirty years.

In the early 1970s, when farming and forestry were the principal businesses of the state, the emphasis was on preserving those businesses. With little thought and the stroke of a pen, nearly 97% of all private rural land was zoned for farming or forestry, even though much of the land had little value for farming or forestry. Almost all other uses were prohibited, even the right to build a home for the landowner.

Times have now changed. The forest industry employs only a fraction of those who formerly worked in logging and mills. Prices of farm commodities are now so low that Congress has recently allocated over 60 billion dollars to subsidize farmers to keep them in business. And, high technology, tourism, manufacturing and service businesses employ most of Oregon’s workers. But despite these changes, 97% of rural land is still restricted for forestry and farming.

Here is where a new Governor can help the economy of Oregon. We must rezone less productive land to allow flexibility of uses. We must challenge the idea that rural land can be used only for agriculture and forestry, and allow the landowner the opportunity to use it in ways that provide the most public good. This could be for small businesses which would provide jobs to rural residents; for homesites for the landowner and those who prefer to live away from the crowded urban areas with their pollution, gridlock, crime and skyrocketing housing costs; for destination resorts that provide hundred of jobs and millions of dollars of economic development; or for parks, school grounds and churches on land which is affordable.

Urban growth boundaries should be more flexible, not like the present Berlin Wall concept which we have today.

Oregonians in Action is ready to help the new Governor to get the economy moving again, regardless of whether he has an elephant or donkey sitting on his desk.