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Governor set to close Washington, D.C. office
Wednesday, February 26, 2003 | No comments posted.
WASHINGTON (AP) - In another sign of the state's severe budget woes, Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Tuesday he is closing Oregon's state office in Washington, D.C.
The one-person office, which former Gov. John Kitzhaber opened in the mid-1990s, will close at the end of June, saving the state an estimated $150,000 a year for staff, rent and other costs.
The closure is unavoidable in the face of a $2 billion budget shortfall and voters' rejection of a temporary tax hike, Kulongoski said. He said he expects the state's budget picture to grow worse on Friday, when officials issue a revised revenue forecast.
Ironically, the closing of the D.C. office comes as Kulongoski vows to improve the state's relations with the federal government and as cash-strapped Oregon seeks to gain as much federal money as possible.
Money troubles hit DEQ; cutbacks loom
PORTLAND. (AP) - Conservationists have criticized the state Department of Environmental Quality in recent years for letting industry largely police itself. Now the DEQ might have no choice as it absorbs cutbacks in state support.
Staffing cutbacks, for example, could slow the agency's work setting maximum pollution levels for Oregon's waterways, said Michael Llewelyn, administrator of the DEQ's Water Quality Division.
The cuts would also affect the number of wastewater discharge permits written and renewed according to rules set by the federal Clean Water Act.
Since 1991, wastewater permit writers have seen their workload double. But Llewelyn said his permit-writing staff must shrink from 56 to 54 people. The division's total staffing is expected to shrink from 235 full-time positions to 213.
As of mid-January, 58 percent of the wastewater permits granted to municipalities and major industrial plants had expired. The Oregon backlog is well above the EPA's goal of 10 percent and exceeds the national average, which is 17 percent or 18 percent, said Randy Smith, director of the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency's regional office in Seattle.
Water Quality receives about 35 percent of its income from the state's general fund and the rest from the federal government and industry-paid fees.
The one-person office, which former Gov. John Kitzhaber opened in the mid-1990s, will close at the end of June, saving the state an estimated $150,000 a year for staff, rent and other costs.
The closure is unavoidable in the face of a $2 billion budget shortfall and voters' rejection of a temporary tax hike, Kulongoski said. He said he expects the state's budget picture to grow worse on Friday, when officials issue a revised revenue forecast.
Ironically, the closing of the D.C. office comes as Kulongoski vows to improve the state's relations with the federal government and as cash-strapped Oregon seeks to gain as much federal money as possible.
Money troubles hit DEQ; cutbacks loom
PORTLAND. (AP) - Conservationists have criticized the state Department of Environmental Quality in recent years for letting industry largely police itself. Now the DEQ might have no choice as it absorbs cutbacks in state support.
Staffing cutbacks, for example, could slow the agency's work setting maximum pollution levels for Oregon's waterways, said Michael Llewelyn, administrator of the DEQ's Water Quality Division.
The cuts would also affect the number of wastewater discharge permits written and renewed according to rules set by the federal Clean Water Act.
Since 1991, wastewater permit writers have seen their workload double. But Llewelyn said his permit-writing staff must shrink from 56 to 54 people. The division's total staffing is expected to shrink from 235 full-time positions to 213.
As of mid-January, 58 percent of the wastewater permits granted to municipalities and major industrial plants had expired. The Oregon backlog is well above the EPA's goal of 10 percent and exceeds the national average, which is 17 percent or 18 percent, said Randy Smith, director of the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency's regional office in Seattle.
Water Quality receives about 35 percent of its income from the state's general fund and the rest from the federal government and industry-paid fees.
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