Bill repealing controversial wildfire hazard map moves out of committee to Oregon Senate

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A bill designed to repeal Oregon’s controversial wildfire hazard map and property regulations connected to it has cleared its committee and is now heading to the Oregon Senate for a vote.

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire voted unanimously on Tuesday to eliminate the map, which was first introduced in 2021’s SB 762.

The Wildfire Hazard Map was created in 2021 under the bipartisan Senate Bill 762, which directed the Oregon Department of Forestry to map out fire-prone areas in the state.

Under SB 762, homeowners living in areas that are at a high wildfire risk face stricter building codes and must reduce vegetation on their properties.

A provision in 2023 disallows insurers to cancel or decline to renew homeowners’ insurance policies or increase premiums. Despite this, the backlash against the Wildfire Hazard Map has persisted.

According to Senator David Brock Smith (R-Coos and Douglas Counties), he and other Republican colleagues co-sponsoring the bill received “pressure” from “thousands of residents” to move forward with repealing the Wildfire Hazard Map.

“With SB 83 passing out of committee, we are one step closer to reversing the devastating impacts of SB 762’s wildfire maps that we have been trying to overturn for years,” Brock Smith said in a statement.

Back in February, due to this ongoing legislative effort, Governor Tina Kotek paused processing appeals filed by homeowners who contest their wildfire hazard zone designation. The governor directed the Oregon Department of Forestry to pause referring the appeals to the Office of Administrative Hearings until the legislative session concludes by June 29. This is to prevent Oregonians filing for appeal from incurring potentially unnecessary legal fees if the legislature makes changes to the map, the governor’s office said.

Last month, Republicans in the Oregon Legislature introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives, HB 3944, which parallels the content of SB 83.