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Bill to speed transmission permits draws support from developers and concerns from farmers and landowners
Summary
House Bill 3681 would change state transmission‑siting procedures to shorten permitting timelines and clarify appeals and standing; developers and utilities supported the changes as necessary to build transmission more quickly, while farm and land‑use representatives warned the bill could weaken protections for farmland and thin judicial review.
Representative Mark Gamba told the committee on March 11 that House Bill 3681 contains nine proposals intended to speed transmission permitting and reduce delays that developers say have held projects up for decades.
Gamba noted the Boardman‑to‑Hemingway project as an example: “The Boardman to Hemingway transmission line … began its process in 2007. … that’s close to a 20‑year process, from application to anticipated completion,” he said, arguing that permitting delays threaten timely build‑out of transmission needed for clean energy.
What the bill would do
Key elements include directing the Energy Facility Siting Council (FSEC) to make a best effort to conclude contested cases within 12 months; clarifying that appeals of FSEC final orders should go directly to the Oregon Supreme Court; allowing minor site‑boundary changes without a full amendment; enabling simultaneous review of a Certificate…
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