Concerned About Fire - Thomas H. Anderson, McMinnville

[Sent to Senator Gary George and All State Senators]

Dear Senator George:

You may recall the devastating “B&B” fire that blackened much of the Santiam Pass area in 2003 and threatened to devastate Camp Sherman which was evacuated. I just read in the news that there is a 167 square mile wild fire burning in Georgia along with 220 active fires in Florida which have so far charred 125 square miles. There are is a wildfire burning in Los Angeles, California, and a fire burning out of control in Minnesota that so far has destroyed 45 buildings, including multimillion dollar homes.

All citizens of Oregon should be concerned that if protective legislation, such as SB 30 in its original form, is not enacted, the entire Metolius Basin will be vulnerable to an increased risk of wildfire and potentially billions of dollars in economic loss. You can’t bring thousands of homes and tens of thousands of people into a fire sensitive area without dramatically increasing the risk of loss.
This is another cost that should be considered before voting to allow development of destination resorts in the Metolius Basin. I hope to hear from you soon that you are supporting SB 30 in its original form.

Sincerely,
Thomas H. Anderson
Law Offices of Thomas H. Anderson, P.C.
McMinnville, Oregon