01-22-18 City Council Agenda Packet

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PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES AND ABUNDANT RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES FEDERAL PRIORITIES We urge the Oregon delegation to support: Reauthorization and full funding at $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and allocation of 40 percent of the fund to the State Assistance Program. Authorization for three years was renewed in December of 2015 and must be renewed again in 2018. Since its inception, the LWCF has provided over $3.9 million in grant funds to 83 projects throughout Lane County, not including the $12 million of LWCF earmark funds used to acquire the West Eugene Wetlands. Reform forestland management and funding under the U.S. Forest Service so that additional resources can be dedicated to suppress wildfires, which absorbed almost 67 percent of the U.S. Forest Service's budget in 2017. These wildfire disasters take away funding from other forest management programs, which are also desperately in need of updating and reforms. Wildfires in 2017 made a disastrous impact on the public health, wellness, safety, recreation, transportation and overall economy in Oregon as they did in Montana and California. Certainty, local and state input, realistic timelines, financial support, and a partnership in working with FEMA and the National Marine Fisheries Service as we work through the rules and implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program. The United Front partners hope this issue can be addressed through the reauthorization of the Flood Insurance Program, which expired in 2017. HR. 2874, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act passed the House in November of 2017 and awaits action in the Senate. Grant opportunities including: U.S. Department of Agriculture programs for Rural Development, Forest Legacy, and Community Forests; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding for inland waterway restoration; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Programs, such as Brownfields, to protect our natural water supplies. Continued funding through FEMA for federal reimbursement for emergency response and community grants to achieve the National Preparedness Goal by improving Protection, Prevention, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery from disasters and terrorism. Bureau of Land Management Community Assistance Funding, which supports important fuels reduction work in the Ridgeline. This is a component of the City of Eugene's emergency management plan for wildfire risk reduction. Funding authorized by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which includes the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 Upper Willamette Floodplain Restoration Study and Section 219 Environmental Infrastructure projects. Improving access for small ports — like the Port of Siuslaw- is critical. Funds from the Harbor Maintenance Tax Trust Fund should support maintenance of ports as designed. Lane County's non-federal agency WRDA request to seek a USACE feasibility study within the Fern Ridge Reservoir to recognize future roadway and rail improvements along the southern boundary of the facility and enhancing recreational access to the facility.