Bend Councilor Boddie talks climate change in D.C.
Bend City Councilor Nathan Boddie met Thursday with federal officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss impacts of climate change, water policy and wildfire risk as they relate to Bend.
Boddie said in a news release Friday that he was accompanied by other elected officials as part of The Mountain Pact, an organization that advocates for mountain towns throughout the west.
Together with representatives from Tahoe, CA, Durango, CO and Telluride, CO, Councilor Boddie spoke with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for the USDA in charge of the U.S. Forest Service, and the Council on Environmental Policy at the White House, as well as Senator Merkley.
“During my conversations with the White House and federal agencies, I pointed out the risks Bend and other mountain towns face from climate change and wildfire, and how our local economy, recreation, and water resources need special consideration at the federal level,” Boddie said.
“Mountain towns like Bend tend to be located at river headwaters, are surrounded by forests, and have recreation economies dependent on winter sports. Since Bend will be among the first to feel the effects of climate change, we must also be among the first to try to fix the problem,” Boddie added.
The city councilor said Jewell, the U.S. Forest Service and White House Council on Environmental Quality were all supportive of combating climate change and changing the way the U.S. funds wildland firefighting.
The Interior Department and CEQ are working to better regulate coal-fired power, which works well with Oregon’s recent clean energy regulation.
Forest Service officials and Boddie said they supported the need to better address wildfire risk with fuels reduction along the wildland-urban interface as we expand our urban growth boundary and funding how we fight wildfires to better reflect Bend’s needs in the surrounding national forest.
Senator Merkley’s staff and Councilor Boddie discussed how it may be possible to continue bipartisan support for wildfire funding in the upcoming legislative session.
They also discussed water resources in Bend and Central Oregon and how increased irrigation efficiency and water policy changes could solve many of the problems in the Deschutes River. Councilor Boddie expressed his hope that the senator would find funding to address water resources which protect both farmers and endangered species alike.
About the Mountain Pact
The Mountain Pact (www.themountainpact.org) is a nonprofit project which helps advocate for the unique needs of mountain towns throughout the American west at the federal level.
