Locke Seeks Emergency Funds For Gorge Study

Sat., March 21, 1998

Associated Press

For the second year in a row, Gov. Gary Locke is offering to tap his emergency fund to help the embattled Columbia River Gorge Commission.

Upset that the Legislature declined to restore cuts made last year in the commission budget, Locke on Friday notified the state of Oregon that he is prepared to kick in $94,000 - provided Oregon matches it - to support the commission’s review of its gorge management plan.

The plan was developed in 1992 to establish guidelines for managing growth in the 300,000-acre Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, which covers parts of three counties in Washington and three counties in Oregon.

But the commission has said the review, scheduled for completion next year, is in jeopardy. Without emergency funding from Washington and Oregon, the Locke administration said, the commission will have to cut about $200,000 from its $607,000 budget for 1998, prompting the dismissal of two or three people from its nine-member staff.

Lawmakers in Washington and Oregon slashed the panel’s funding last year on grounds it has been too diligent in blocking development. They want to give more authority to the six counties along the gorge.

Oregon’s share of the money is held by the Legislative Emergency Board, an interim budget committee. The gorge commission plans to seek release of the matching funds at the board’s June meeting.

Last year, Locke provided $75,000 to the gorge commission from his emergency fund, matching an equal amount from Oregon. The money enabled the panel to begin its review of the management plan.

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