The recently established Economic Recovery Review Council (ERRC), which consists of five state agency directors, is charged with carrying out one of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s top economic priorities—increasing the amount of industrial land available for job creation—held its first meeting last month.
Under Senate Bill 766, the council has two main tasks. First, the council is empowered to approve up to 10 industrial development projects “of state significance” every two years. Among the measurements for such projects are the number of new permanent jobs, levels of capital investment and community support and the number of jobs created in relation to the local economy. The council’s second goal is to approve between 5 and 15 industrial areas that are “regionally significant” by mid-2014.
The law excludes consideration of projects requiring changes in planning and zoning regulations, or federal environmental impact statements. Once a complete application is submitted, the council will have 120 days to approve or reject it. The law still requires a public hearing, conducted under local-notice procedures, and consideration that low-income neighborhoods do not bear greater shares of environmental effects.
“These are areas with unique characteristics that give them a competitive advantage to attract industry,” Richard Whitman, Kitzhaber’s adviser on natural resources policy, told the Statesman Journal. Whitman said in addition to streamlining the land-use process within these designated areas, he hopes state and local governments can focus their investment, such as for roads and utilities.
The agencies represented are Business Oregon, Oregon Departments of Transportation, Environmental Quality, Land Conservation and Development and State Lands. The council has yet to accept applications for either industrial projects or industrial areas, but says it will soon. Agencies are consulting with communities and five regional solutions teams, which consist of state agency representatives. The teams cover the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast, as well as Southern, Central and Eastern Oregon.
