40. The Pew Charitable Trusts (U.S. Conservation project, Brett Swift)
40. The Pew Charitable Trusts (U.S. Conservation project, Brett Swift)
May 15, 2026 Governor’s Prosperity Council State of Oregon Curtis Robinhold and Renee James, Co-chairs Re: Accelerating prosperity through Oregon's natural and working lands and local/state capacity to effectively plan for the future Dear Co-Chairs and Members of the Governor’s Prosperity Council, On behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew), thank you for the Prosperity Council’s (Council) work to 1 advance actionable recommendations under the Governor’s Prosperity Roadmap and for the opportunity to provide feedback as the Council moves forward. Pew’s U.S. Conservation project advances commonsense solutions that address the impacts of a changing environment on nature and communities, in collaboration with policy makers, Tribes, and stakeholders. This project works on several related issues: protection of lands and waters, climate-ready management of species and habitats, restoring terrestrial and aquatic connectivity, a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks 2 like coastal wetlands and peatlands, and preparing communities for climate impacts. Our U.S. Conservation program’s interest in the Council’s work relate to Oregon's natural and working lands, Oregon's Statewide Land Use Planning Goals, and their relationship to recent legislative and administrative actions that have bearing on the Roadmap and the Council's strategic goals. Accordingly, we encourage the Council to include the following in its final recommendations to the Governor by June 30, 2026: 1: Call for an independent analysis of Oregon state and local permit operations to evaluate the net benefits of permitting systems for Oregonians, including the extent to which current processes support public trust, environmental stewardship, economic development, and timely decision-making. The analysis should also identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary delays and improve coordination, which could supplement 3 implementation of HB 4084 (2026). 2: Encourage the state of Oregon to reinvest in state and local planning capacity, including in specialized programs like Oregon’s Coastal Management Program (OCMP). This initiative can help build Oregon back from the decades of divestment in local planning that has created barriers to predictable permitting outcomes in cities and counties. 3: Align the Council’s recommendations with the Governor’s recent climate-focused executive orders, including Executive Order 25-26 directing state agencies “to take urgent action to promote the resilience of 4 our communities and natural and working lands and waters.” This alignment may reveal multi-benefit 1 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon's Prosperity Roadmap, December 2025, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon's_Prosperity_Roadmap_December_2025.pdf 2 The Pew Charitable Trusts, U.S. Conservation Project, accessed 5/11/26, https://www.pew.org/en/projects/us- conservation 3 Oregon State Legislature, House Bill 4084: Relating to economic development, 2026 Regular Session, https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB4084/Enrolled 4 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Executive Order No. 25-26, October 2025, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-25-26.pdf
policy pathways that balance conservation, development, and resilience needs as Oregon plots a course for future prosperity. 5 4: Demonstrate engagement with the Oregon Department of Energy’s Natural Climate Solutions program. The Council's final recommendations will benefit from this connection as it may surface opportunities to enhance the state’s existing workforce on natural and working lands. 1: Call for an independent analysis of Oregon state and local permit operations to evaluate the net benefits of permitting systems for Oregonians, including the extent to which current processes support public trust, environmental stewardship, economic development, and timely decision-making. The analysis should also identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary delays and improve coordination, which could supplement implementation of HB 4084 (2026). 6 Governor Kotek’s Prosperity Roadmap states a need to “streamline and/or accelerate permitting” and 7 indeed the Legislature has acted on this in the 2026 session with the passage of HB 4084 (2026). Section 5 of this legislation requires eight state agencies to catalog all permits in their jurisdiction that are “related to or have an impact on economic development projects” and identify opportunities to streamline the approval 8 process for those permits. As a supplement to this effort, Pew encourages the Council to call for an independent analysis of Oregon state and local permitting operations to evaluate how permitting affects prosperity outcomes of Oregonians. Depending on the scope, such an analysis could reveal challenges that exist upstream of the permit-by- permit processes themselves. Our organization is aware of one such upstream challenge: limited local and state capacity for community-led land use planning that is required by Oregon's Statewide Land Use 9 Planning Goals state values. For more on this, see recommendation 2 below. We appreciate the effort by the Governor’s office and Prosperity Council to solicit feedback from Oregonians about “insights, experiences, and ideas about our collective economic future” which garnered 10 1,039 responses. Concepts of permitting delays, zoning rules, and/or regulatory burden were mentioned 5 State of Oregon, Department of Energy – Natural Climate Solutions program, accessed 4/3/2026, https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/Pages/NaturalClimateSolutions.aspx 6 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon's Prosperity Roadmap, December 2025, pages 4-5, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon's_Prosperity_Roadmap_December_2025.pdf 7 Oregon State Legislature, House Bill 4084: Relating to economic development, 2026 Regular Session, https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB4084/Enrolled 8 Ibid. Agencies subject to Section 5 are the Departments of Transportation, Land Conservation and Development, Energy, State Lands, Environmental Quality, Water Resources, Agriculture, and the office of the State Historic Preservation Officer. 9 Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon Planning, accessed 4/16/2026, https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/op/pages/index.aspx 10 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon's Prosperity Council, "Prosperity Council Survey Reponses_2026_03_25", accessed 4/20/26, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i2GEb49JUA6XEj7z- yUHN6BPA0nLHqi9BY05UZJY1dQ/edit?pli=1&gid=728315544#gid=728315544
by 15% of respondents (159 individuals or individuals representing an organization) across 293 separate narrative responses given that multiple participants mentioned these concepts more than once. Given this modest but significant number, coupled with the need for a deeper analysis of factors influencing prosperity outcomes, Pew recommends to the Governor's office the completion of an independent analysis of Oregon state and local operations to determine if permitting processes and decision-making are key limiting factors for the prosperity of Oregonians. This analysis should examine both the benefits and constraints of existing permitting systems, including which elements of permitting processes may be limiting prosperity, for whom, and under what circumstances. 2: Encourage the state of Oregon to reinvest in state and local planning capacity, including in specialized programs like Oregon’s Coastal Management Program (OCMP). This initiative can help build Oregon back from the decades of divestment in local planning that has created barriers to predictable permitting outcomes in cities and counties. Oregon’s statewide Land Use Goals and planning framework are intentionally structured to front-load development and land use decisions through proactive planning (i.e. comprehensive plans, zoning, and 11 mapped inventories), so that individual permits can be reviewed efficiently and consistently. The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD)’s Land Use Planning Program provides predictability for long term investment by clearly allocating land in each community for housing, industry, utilities, and resource protection in advance of specific permitting decisions, while assuring conservation and development values are balanced for communities to thrive. Key decisions about where to locate development are intended to be made in advance of permitting decisions, with statutory timelines – 120 12 13 days for local action and 77 days for Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) decisions – used to advance permitting decisions and provide regulatory certainty. When these foundational tools are current and well supported, permitting processes can move efficiently and with less risk for developers. However, outdated plans and codes, incomplete inventories, unresolved infrastructure questions, and limited staff capacity force local governments to resolve planning issues during permit review—creating delay and uncertainty for applicants. The State itself recognizes this challenge, identifying technical 14 assistance and planning grants as “key elements” of the statewide program. Nevertheless, many cities and counties have gone decades without sustained funding to support long-term planning, particularly in rural communities. This has resulted in strained capacity, outdated plans, and a reliance on small, piecemeal grant 11 Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon Planning, accessed 4/16/2026, https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/op/pages/index.aspx 12 Oregon Revised Statute 227.181: Deadline for final action following remand of land use decision. Accessed 4/16/2026, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors227.html#:~:text=227.181 Deadline for final action ,of%20Appeals%20under%20ORS%20197.830 13 Oregon Revised Statute 197.830 Review procedures; standing; fees; deadlines; rules; issues subject to review; attorney fees and costs; publication of orders; mediation; tracking of reviews. Accessed 4/16/2026, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors197.html#:~:text=197.830 Review procedures%3B sta nding%3B%20fees%3B,orders%3B%20mediation%3B%20tracking%20of%20reviews 14 Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Biennial Report to the Legislature, 2023-2025, page 1, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Reports/DLCD2023-25BiennialReport.pdf
funds to conduct planning projects, thereby hindering the efficiency of permit processing. More robust and stable investments are needed to resource local governments to meaningfully plan. Example: Oregon’s Coastal Management Program—powerful, effective, and under-resourced 15 Oregon’s Coastal Management Program (OCMP) illustrates the capacity challenge clearly. OCMP is a federally approved program, housed within DLCD, that coordinates 11 state agencies and all coastal cities and counties to balance development and conservation while supporting community livability and economic activity. The program provides coastal planning assistance, hazard mitigation tools, data, grants, and federal consistency review—services that are critical to timely, legally durable permitting in coastal communities given planners are responsible for upholding distinct coastal Land Use Goals in addition to all other Land Use 16 Planning Goals. In fall 2025, Pew partnered with DLCD/OCMP to cohost coastal resilience workshops in Pacific City and Coos 17 Bay. These workshops brought together planning, public works, and community development staff from 14 coastal cities and Tillamook, Lincoln, and Coos Counties. Participants consistently emphasized that: • Coastal hazards and changing environmental conditions are increasing faster than local capacity to plan for them. • Proactive, community-led planning creates certainty for residents, businesses, conservation interests, and developers alike. • Despite admirable increases in DLCD capacity around housing, decades of disinvestment in local planning capacity—combined with heavy reliance on strained and uncertain federal funding—have left many coastal jurisdictions struggling to meet both hazard and land use obligations. With additional capacity, OCMP could more proactively assist jurisdictions with plan updates, code alignment, and preapplication clarity—reducing delays for developers, local governments, and state agencies while maintaining Oregon’s coastal standards. In the Council's final recommendations, please include a call to reinvest in state and local planning capacity, including in specialized programs like OCMP. Strengthening planning capacity offers a pragmatic, durable path for permitting while safeguarding the values that make Oregon competitive and resilient. 15 State of Oregon, Oregon Coastal Management Program, accessed 4/16/2026, https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/ocmp/pages/index.aspx 16 Oregon's Statewide Land Use Planning Goals 16 (estuaries), 17 (coastal shorelands), and 18 (beaches and dunes), Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/OP/Pages/Goals.aspx 17 The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oregon Coastal Communities Seek Solutions Amid Worsening Storms, Sea-Level Rise, 1/27/26, https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2026/01/27/oregon-coastal-communities-seek- solutions-amid-worsening-storms-sea-level-rise
3: Align the Council’s recommendations with the Governor’s recent climate-focused executive orders, including Executive Order 25-26 directing state agencies “to take urgent action to promote the resilience of our communities and natural and working lands and waters.” This alignment may reveal multi-benefit policy pathways that balance conservation, development, and resilience needs as Oregon plots a course for future prosperity. 18 Pew applauded Governor Kotek's recent issuance of Executive Order 25-26 (EO 25-26), instructing state agencies to take urgent action to promote the resilience of our communities and natural and working lands 19 and waters. Our organization had previously made recommendations and provided technical assistance to the Governor’s office along these lines, and we stand ready to help with implementation. As noted by Governor Kotek in her issuance of EO 25-26: Oregon is at an inflection point as changing climate and ocean conditions are impacting Oregon's landscapes, waters, communities, and local economies with increased temperatures, warming surface waters, changing precipitation patterns, reduced snowpack, hotter and drier summers, sea- level rise, diminishing water supplies, habitat constraints to iconic species, and more frequent and 20 damaging wildfires and extreme weather events. Oregon's working lands and waters, across agriculture, forestry, ranching, and fisheries sectors, collectively represent a major share of the state's economy. Food and fiber production, processing, retail, and service 21,22 account for more than $42 billion in annual output. The commercial and recreational fishing economies 23 accounted for $1.2 billion and $321 million in output respectively, as of 2020-2021. Further, Oregon’s public lands and waters are the centerpiece of a thriving tourism economy – a more than $14 billion industry 24 that employs more 120,000 Oregonians – and outdoor recreation economy that accounted for more than 25 $9 billion of economic activity and supported more than 75,000 jobs. These natural areas provide clean air and water, and fish and wildlife habitat, all while helping communities prepare for and withstand 18 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Executive Order No. 25-26, October 21, 2025, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-25-26.pdf 19 The Pew Charitable Trusts, "How Oregon Can Leverage Its Nature for a Brighter Future," September, 15, 2025, https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2025/09/15/how-oregon-can-leverage-its-nature-for-a- brighter-future 20 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Executive Order No. 25-26, October 21, 2025, page 1, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-25-26.pdf 21 Oregon State Board of Agriculture, 2025 Report, accessed 4/29/2026, https://www.oregon.gov/oda/Documents/Publications/Administration/BoardReport.pdf 22 Oregon Forest Resources Institute, Oregon Forest Facts 2025-2026 Edition, accessed 4/29/2025, https://oregonforests.org/media/2351 23 The Research Group, LLC. Oregon Commercial and Marine Recreational Fishing Industry Economic Activity for Years 2020 and 2021, Addendum 2023, Executive Summary. Prepared for Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Reserve Program and Marine Resource Program. June 2024, https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/docs/TRG Oregon fishing industry 2020-2021 ES.pdf 24 Dean Runyan Associates, The Economic Impact of Travel in Oregon: Calendar Year 2024 Preliminary, 4/14/2025, https://industry.traveloregon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oregon_2024_2025-05-01.pdf 25 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, March 5, 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/outdoor-recreation/pdf/Oregon2024.pdf
environmental changes and hazards, including extreme weather events. By proactively managing and protecting these lands and waters for future conditions, state leaders can help ensure that people will continue to enjoy and prosper from Oregon’s natural and working lands for decades to come. Therefore, the state government and communities must prepare for a host of impacts, from longer and more intense droughts and wildfire seasons and less predictable quantities—and quality—of freshwater to more invasive species and diseases, changing wildlife migration patterns, and increased sea-level rise, among others. EO 25-26 also articulated work underway through the Plan for a Resilient Oregon, a "people-centered resilience strategy to help communities around Oregon "adapt and thrive in the face of increasingly severe 26 climate risks, and to support communities in long-term recovery from climate-driven disasters." And a separate executive order, EO 25-29, focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing Oregon's 27 clean energy future. We encourage the Council, in its final recommendations, to align with the Governor’s recent climate- focused executive orders. These orders contain policy pathways that, if taken together, can help create the balance of conservation and development needed as Oregon plots a course for future prosperity. 4: Demonstrate engagement with the Oregon Department of Energy’s Natural Climate Solutions program. The Council's final recommendations will benefit from this connection as it may surface opportunities to enhance the state’s existing workforce on natural and working lands. Since 2023, launched in large part to implement Oregon House Bill 3409, the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) has supported efforts to enhance or protect land-based net carbon sequestration on natural and working lands across the state. This work includes publishing, in December 2025, Oregon's first Land-Based 28 Net Carbon Inventory which provides the state, decisionmakers, and the public a better understanding of the effects of the state’s land use changes over the past 35 years on its greenhouse gas emissions and removals. And perhaps most relevant to the Council, in December 2025, ODOE also published a Natural Climate 29 Solutions Workforce Development and Training Programs Needs Study. In its publishing, ODOE provides the following summary of the report findings: 26 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Executive Order No. 25-26, October 21, 2025, page 6, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-25-26.pdf 27 State of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek, Executive Order No. 25-29, November 18, 2025, https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-25-29.pdf 28 Oregon Department of Energy and Oregon Climate Action Commission, Report to the Oregon Legislature: Land-Based Net Carbon Inventory, December 31, 2025, https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/Documents/2025-Land- Based-Net-Carbon-Inventory-Report.pdf 29 Oregon Department of Energy and Oregon Climate Action Commission, Report to the Oregon Legislature: Natural Climate Solutions Workforce Development and Training Programs Needs Study, December 31, 2025 https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/Documents/2025-NCS-Workforce-Needs-Report.pdf
According to the study, there are nearly 130,000 natural climate solutions-related jobs already in Oregon, and natural climate solutions-related industries are growing, with opportunities for additional training and engagement with workers. There is also an opportunity to partner with, support, invest in, and prioritize a Tribal-led natural climate solutions workforce. Expansion of the natural climate solutions will have outsized benefits to rural economies and rural workforces in 30 Oregon. Pew encourages the Council to reach out to ODOE staff to learn more about the findings and implications of its workforce development study , including Jamshed Suntoke - Climate Team Lead, 503-510-7206, Jamshed.Suntoke@energy.oregon.gov. The Council's final recommendations will benefit from this connection as it may surface opportunities to enhance the state’s existing workforce on natural and working lands. Thank you for your service on the Prosperity Council and for taking the time to review these comments. Taken together, the recommendations above can supplement your work and help Oregon capitalize on what the state is doing well with regard to conservation, development, resilience, and prosperity for all Oregonians. We look forward to the Council's final report in the near future. Sincerely, Brett Swift Project Director, U.S. Conservation The Pew Charitable Trusts Cc: The Honorable Tina Kotek, Governor, State of Oregon The Honorable Tim Knopp, Chief Prosperity Officer, State of Oregon Brenda Ortigoza Bateman, Ph.D., Director, DLCD Geoff Huntington, Senior Natural Resources Advisor, Governor’s Office Chandra Ferrari, Natural Resources Advisor, Governor’s Office Jonna Papaefthimiou, State Resilience Officer 30 Oregon Department of Energy, "New Reports Highlight Importance of Oregon Lands for Climate Mitigation and Workforce Needs to Support Natural Climate Solutions," blogpost dated January 5, 2026, https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2026/1/5/new-reports-highlight-lands-climate-mitigation-and-workforce-needs- to-support-natural-climate-solutions
Parent: Appendix E: Submissions & Feedback · PDF: pp. 358-364