The House Committee on Rules held a public hearing May 21 on House Bill 3,971, a measure that would direct county approval of an integrated materials and energy recovery facility (IMRF) sited on public land in the Willamette Valley — limited in later amendments to Lane County — located outside urban growth boundaries and in a light-industrial zone. The bill's supporters, including Representative Lisa Fragola, Senator Floyd Prozanski, and Lane County commissioners, urged the legislature to authorize the county to move the project forward, saying the privately partnered, publicly enabled Clean Lane project is fully financed and advances recycling, reduces landfill methane and creates family-wage jobs.

Representative Lisa Fragola (House District 8) said Clean Lane would "significantly increase recyclables recovery while also removing food and other organic waste that can contribute to methane production in landfills," and noted the project has secured industrial development bond financing and federal Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr described the project as "among the most forward looking projects" in his public service, saying the partnership with Bulk Handling Systems includes private financing of roughly 70% of the project cost, with the county contributing $35 million and the private partner putting up the remainder; he said the project would divert about 80,000 tons of material a year and create construction and permanent jobs.

Opponents — including Representative Darren Harbick, Senator **** Anderson, Lane County Commissioner David Lovell, Vice Chair of the Lane County Board Ryan Seneca, and dozens of residents and businesses — said the bill seeks to supersede established local land-use processes and comprehensive plans, that the proposed Goshen site contains wetlands and flood-prone areas, and that the project was advanced without adequate local transparency. Representative Harbick said the county's special-use permit for the facility had been denied on April 22 and noted the matter was under appeal at the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA); he urged the committee to let the land-use process proceed without legislative interference. Commissioner Lovell and Vice Chair Seneca said the county had changed application types and pursued irregular procedures, and expressed concerns about traffic, flooding, environmental permitting, and financial risk to taxpayers.

County counsel Rob Bovette and other supporters said the bill does not waive environmental or federal wetland permitting and is designed to address timing and litigation risk: Bovette told the committee that litigation at LUBA and subsequent zoning changes could delay the project for years and that the bill is modeled on existing "supersiting" statutes previously used for other statewide needs; he called the bill "about timing." Lane County and project proponents emphasized mitigation would be required if the site includes wetlands and that state and federal environmental permits remain necessary.

Public testimony included representatives from Bulk Handling Systems, which the county selected through a competitive process, local small businesses, environmental advocates, and residents of Goshen and nearby communities. Supporters highlighted local economic benefits and climate advantages; opponents focused on land-use process integrity, wetlands and flood risks, potential traffic and safety impacts on Highway 99, and the absence of demonstrated local consensus. The committee heard video and photographic evidence of flooding at the site during recent storms and multiple residents urged the committee to reject the bill, citing a recent independent hearings official's denial of the county permit and a pending LUBA appeal.

The committee did not take a final vote on HB 3,971 during the hearing; Chair Bowman opened and then closed the public hearing after the panel and public testimony and adjourned the meeting.