[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6106828,"mediaKeyId","2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83","parentId",2779272,"title","Lawyers, rural landowners urge fix to land‑division remainder uncertainty in House Bill 3858 hearing","audioSeconds",376,"startMs",2176000,"endMs",2552000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83&start=2176&end=2552","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83/thumbnail_2176000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6106828/Oregon/Lawyers-rural-landowners-urge-fix-to-landdivision-remainder-uncertainty-in-House-Bill-3858-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6106828-4eadf536a09630bee8db7be23dacb786/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435072&Signature=jxpQKd7o7ZRWpEFc~c-TWpBRmmzWnkKw3~VHyzCISVnCB86J8HY8Hb1Aju3597WpKhv24kldQVHDAWpkj1I~yuFZckN0WMJscZroOs8YecsKGrcNAg0Hc9Z6DW1A1vBOFZ4u44-kUvzecG1CdKo9SxFqX3FcPv-IS2J7KEkj0YROErvSAfOl29DP2U1V6D1SxLNlUf1qJKjpMf6gy-WxczOZ5GtIoBjpL9zW0y724J3aa7l97WSgtxfSdg7HgqJCzvq4tcZADFuUgSGyAKPDDZLY5l0V4C4LZvnDgF5oHEMbsBp6WoOx8aJr-2EPfBMMeVvYgBhluqiDJsFmk~9AsQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","A public hearing on House Bill 3858 on March 26 focused on a narrow technical fix to Oregon land‑division law intended to resolve uncertainty created by a recent Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) decision.

Representative Vicki Breese‑Iverson introduced the bill as a remedy for property owners who lawfully sold a portion of their land before modern land‑division rules but did not, and customarily would not, record a second deed for the portion they retained. \"Prior to our land use system and land division laws…the rancher would not think to prepare a second deed for the portion of the ranch he was keeping,\" Breese‑Iverson told the committee, summarizing the problem the bill is designed to fix.

Land‑use attorneys Garrett Stevenson, Wendy Kellington and Andrew Stamp testified in support, describing the bill as a narrow correction that restores the long‑standing expectation that when a parcel was lawfully divided before land‑division ordinances, both the conveyed portion and the retained remainder were lawful units of land. Kellington said the bill will prevent consequences she described as \"generational,\" including inability to transfer or develop remainder parcels that families assumed were legal.

Opponents, including Rory Isbell of Central Oregon LandWatch, said the change would validate a new concept — a \"remainder of a lawfully established unit of land\" — that could open rural agricultural and forest lands to new development and undermine statewide goals to preserve large blocks of farmland. Isbell said the bill \"would really upend this bedrock principle\" of Oregon land‑use law.

Longstanding practitioners including Bill Cluse testified in support and urged the committee to pass the technical fix; he said the bill applies only to parcels created before modern land‑division laws. Other witnesses pointed out that the legislation is intended to be narrow, applying to historic conveyances and not to post‑statehood subdivisions.

The committee heard questions about the bill’s scope, and Representative Marsh asked whether the bill applied only to parcels created before land‑division laws; attorneys confirmed the bill’s limited focus and offered to provide additional drafting and case citations to the committee record. The committee took testimony and indicated it would accept written record material; no final action occurred at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water 03/26/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 3858 would clarify that 'remainder' parcels created before land‑division laws are lawful units of land. Supporters said the bill fixes decades‑old practice; opponents warned it could enable additional non‑farm development on agricultural lands.","taxTitle","Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17399,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6106835,"Harney Basin farmers, county officials and conservation groups outline competing views at House Bill 3800 hearing",356,674000,1030000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83&start=674&end=1030","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83/thumbnail_674000.jpg","/articles/6106835/Oregon/Harney-Basin-farmers-county-officials-and-conservation-groups-outline-competing-views-at-House-Bill-3800-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6106835-7397ee6fcec11124ba973076e45084ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435072&Signature=blKDPvoY6NGixjjfaYhZiGJG8svRGTgNJfkXTzE7MdIGPV79WMhQkL8cB4BwrT~6YB-IRLrIObKapJSA3PaQZe4qmjajMwctC85h-avCMO9qjw-wsD~p2-Gbm7fFj30lrpeChPvBRjhVR7qOKPf3hM2-8x-6xrGgEvDkDbyLnW5Ob3PoZu1jeKGWau5JF2MT5YA-Qh1mTuvleFsbcG23yqZPm1NpMIExrJSbuAzRC9nJ5-VBKnDmn~H7xN0tKaqLLcIN0g3Q2RYevg3bGyG2COjkS~bOKs~4yisVdjmwqQv~WMKpKejSlY2NiIzEF0PNtGfIE4VYW-3hucTgQ1Q2qQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A public hearing on House Bill 3800 on March 26 drew extensive testimony from Harney Basin farmers, county commissioners, irrigation customers and conservation groups about how to respond to groundwater over‑allocation in the basin.

Proponents — including Harney County Commissioner Rob Frank and local ranchers — said the bill would provide statutory clarity and tools for the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and the local community to pursue voluntary agreements, mitigation programs and measured reductions while protecting local economies. \"We developed a groundwater use plan and an integrated water use plan,\" Harney County Commissioner Rob Frank told the committee, saying the bill would allow the community to use those tools and ‘‘maintain the cultural fabric of our county.’’

Speakers representing farms and businesses described long local investment in irrigation infrastructure and said abrupt agency enforcement or large immediate cuts would harm family farms and the county economy. Farmer Tom Dolman and rancher Andy Root urged flexibility, expanded voluntary agreements and nonregulatory programs to phase reductions. Local business owners warned of wider economic impacts; Harney Electric Cooperative’s general manager said irrigation customers account for about 68% of the cooperative’s revenue and predicted rate pressures if irrigation power sales fall sharply.

Conservation groups and some committee members urged caution. Zach Fried of The Nature Conservancy said he was \"neutral with concerns\" about parts of the proposed amendment outline and urged use of modeling and the rulemaking record to establish permissible total withdrawals. Kimberly Creasy of WaterWatch of Oregon opposed the amendment outline as presented, saying it would \"undermine the state's existing statutory authority\" and could authorize more pumping than the department’s rulemaking would allow.

Key points of contention in testimony included: whether statutory PTWs (permissible total withdrawals) should be set by the legislature or informed by OWRD’s ongoing Division 512 rulemaking; how to treat unused or \"paper\" water rights (witnesses estimated roughly 30% of basin acreage was not being irrigated and considered \"paper\" water); the appropriate baseline for reductions (witnesses described using a four‑year dry-period average and proposed 2.7 acre‑feet as a starting point for total duty); treatment of permit decline conditions (some witnesses sought limits on the department’s use of decline conditions); and whether the community should be allowed a multi‑decade period for voluntary reductions before stricter regulation.

Several witnesses described the procedural history: USGS studies and subsequent rulemaking and advisory committees dating back to the 2010s and early 2020s, culminating in current Division 512 rulemaking and a preferred alternative that some in the community say would impose drastic cuts in some subareas. Representative Owens and others described the bill as specific to Harney Basin and not intended as a statewide precedent for critical groundwater designations.

No final committee action occurred at the hearing; the committee opened the public hearing, took testimony, and indicated the measure will be worked on further and likely sent to Rules for additional drafting and negotiation. Committee members asked clarifying questions about economic consequences and requested refined amendment language. Speakers said they expected more detailed amendments to appear before the bill is formally moved out of committee.

\"If the community did nothing and the department did less, I think what we'd see in the basin is a lot of litigation,\" Representative Helm said, arguing for a controlled process that could avoid contested‑case litigation. Several speakers urged that statutory language preserve opportunities for voluntary agreements and mitigation programs while remaining consistent with the department’s scientific work.

The hearing record includes public testimony both supporting and opposing the bill; conservation groups asked the committee to allow OWRD’s Division 512 rulemaking to finish rather than override it by statute. The committee will consider amendments and next steps in future meetings.","A lengthy public hearing on House Bill 3800 focused on groundwater over‑allocation in Harney Basin: local farmers and county officials urged statutory tools, voluntary agreements and mitigation programs to stabilize water use while conservation groups warned the draft amendments could undermine science-based rulemaking and sustainability goals.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6106840,"Committee advances several agriculture and natural-resources bills to rules or ways-and-means referrals",124,42000,166000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83&start=42&end=166","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2779272-3f2cda030465b69ce7ec0219c874cc83/thumbnail_42000.jpg","/articles/6106840/Oregon/Committee-advances-several-agriculture-and-natural-resources-bills-to-rules-or-ways-and-means-referrals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6106840-5538bdd2bb34bccfc87af03f0cf17c46/orig.mp4?Expires=1770435072&Signature=avILcv4kcLONWIgcTGCC99UvW31PgysMhOm1faZ7SIIS8ilxwTFlJ8aDwUeG7z2lH2F4TxqObe4v3djIoaosD5Q3sO4u~ZqirSlDLuw3jO1Gqe3ymxGxlHobU-K~wtnCQADoMw5m56BwIA0Zp42eGVaAgmHaeey8hBK9AVuGxCxvtSQVJ6-~-X4rHupjvGQifJIvIT7o4UzJPvwxELEENN8K0I1GnwrXqVTf2WgTm5gF1QMXwKwGczdgvvsp2ElycrgqUUvw1Ft6uKx~F9CC0DmYjQKbEJ4sYTkgpZBtXmQkOXk3EhU28VlI8Y1a19kRYuR5xwWJoJ1kQb5koaGDQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee met March 26 and moved a package of bills forward, largely to Rules or the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for additional review and fiscal consideration.

House Bill 2777, which would exempt certain wells from onshore exploration permitting and restrict the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries from imposing additional conditions on transfer of surface mining operating permits, was sent to the House Committee on Rules with no committee recommendation. House Bill 3346, amended to create a study of small-scale renewable energy siting in critical groundwater areas east of the Cascade Range, passed the committee as amended and was referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. House Bill 3580’s dash-2 amendment, which removed a task-force requirement on eelgrass resource leasing withdrawals, passed and the bill was referred to Ways and Means. House Bill 3657’s dash-3 amendment to establish a wildlife damage prevention and compensation program and direct funds to the Oregon Department of Agriculture also passed and was referred to Ways and Means. House Bill 3114, which funds a collaborative water-management process in the Chewaucan River watershed and adjusts certain appropriation amounts, passed as amended and was referred to Ways and Means.

Committee staff reported fiscal notes where applicable and that several measures received prior referrals to Ways and Means. Committee members voiced general support for some bills; one member asked the committee to preserve the structure of interagency partnerships if bills fail in Ways and Means.

Votes at a glance:
- HB 2777: Moved to House Rules with no recommendation. Motion made and adopted; no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript.
- HB 3346 (as amended): Adopted dash-1 amendment; moved to Joint Committee on Ways and Means with a \"do pass\" recommendation; committee recorded the motion and the chair announced the measure \"passes as amended.\"
- HB 3580 (as amended): Dash-2 amendment adopted; moved to Ways and Means with a \"do pass\" recommendation; committee announced the bill \"passes.\"
- HB 3657 (as amended): Dash-3 amendment adopted; moved to Ways and Means with a \"do pass\" recommendation; committee announced the bill \"passes as amended.\"
- HB 3114 (as amended): Dash-4 amendment adopted; moved to Ways and Means with a \"do pass\" recommendation; committee announced the bill \"passes as amended.\"

No formal roll-call tallies were recorded in the public transcript for these motions; the committee used voice agreement and formal motions to place bills on referral. The committee chair also closed work sessions in sequence and opened subsequent items as the agenda progressed.

The committee referred the bills in order to allow further fiscal, policy and stakeholder review; several measures carry sub-referrals and fiscal notes as indicated in staff remarks. Further hearings or actions are expected while bills proceed through Rules or Ways and Means.

Members and staff noted that moving bills to Rules or Ways and Means preserves the measures for further discussion and does not constitute final legislative approval.

For more detail on each bill’s text and fiscal notes, committee staff indicated the measures were posted to OLIS (Oregon Legislative Information System) and will follow the regular referral process.","The House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee moved five bills — on mining permits, groundwater energy siting studies, eelgrass policy, wildlife damage compensation and a watershed collaboration — to the next stages, mainly with referrals to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means or to Rules.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lawyers, rural landowners urge fix to land‑division remainder uncertainty in House Bill 3858 hearing

Harney Basin farmers, county officials and conservation groups outline competing views at House Bill 3800 hearing

Committee advances several agriculture and natural-resources bills to rules or ways-and-means referrals