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OWEB director warns of budget tightening, flags new climate resiliency role
Summary
Executive Director Sarah O'Brien told the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board that a federal shutdown and state cost-reduction requests are constraining partners and staff, while a new governor's executive order asks OWEB to lead interagency climate resiliency work.
Sarah O'Brien, executive director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, told the board at its October meeting in Astoria that ongoing federal shutdowns and state guidance to prepare 5% cost-reduction scenarios are forcing staff and partners to plan conservatively.
O'Brien said the board's decision to set aside unallocated funds in the current spending plan helps OWEB avoid premature commitments, but cautioned that federal and state uncertainties could still reduce available funding. She told the board the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund agreement for federal fiscal year 2025 is signed, bringing approximately $19,000,000 in anticipated dollars to projects, but added that FY26 remains uncertain.
The director also described language in a newly issued governor's executive order that explicitly invites OWEB to convene an interagency work group to identify attributes of resilient land and water resources. O'Brien said the order asks state agencies to pursue a 10% increase, over a 2025 baseline, in identified climate-resiliency attributes within 10 years and emphasized that the measure explicitly includes restoration and working-lands actions. "The role that is identified there for us is to convene an interagency work group to think about what are the attributes that make our land and water resources resilient," O'Brien said.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how the order will intersect with public and private lands, and staff said additional frequently asked questions and implementation guidance will follow from the governor's office. O'Brien and staff also promised a follow-up briefing on internal processes for conflict-of-interest disclosure, appointments, and the tribal representative role in future meetings.
The board did not take new spending action tied to the executive order at the meeting; O'Brien said further work with agency partners and staff will define OWEB's role and resource needs.
