Marine Board Approves Rulemaking, Other Items, Nov. 3

The Oregon State Marine Board approved the consideration of two items for rulemaking, and a pledge for conditional funding of a grant for Harrisburg Landing during their quarterly meeting on October 22, held in Brookings. The Board approved to initiate rulemaking for Chapter 250, Division 14, for the Boating Facilities Maintenance Assistance Program, to ensure state administrative rules comply with recently adopted federal regulations and to revise and re-number Foam Encapsulation Rules. The Board approved initiating rulemaking in Chapter 250, Division 030 –Scenic Waterways, to verify rules for the John Day River are consistent with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Record of Decision. Staff will also review the rules on other Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers to check for inconsistencies between the state and federal law. Staff anticipates returning to the Board with a rule recommendation at the January, 2016 Board meeting. The Board also considered a request from the City of Harrisburg for Harrisburg Landing, a very popular facility for anglers and waterfowl hunters. The City is pursuing a grant from Connect Oregon to fund gravel removal and replace the boat ramp. The City requested the Board’s authorization to pledge funds toward their application match requirement. A Marine Board grant was approved for this work in 2005 and amended in 2007 for $245,000 in state boater funds, but the project had to be abandoned due to cost-prohibitive conditions in the permits. The Board authorized the Director to sign a letter to the City, pledging up to $120,000 in state boater funds contingent upon biennium funding availability. The Board also discussed the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation’s management of the Duckworth Dock. In 2014, a pilot program was developed to prohibit overnight stays (except during peak summer months) which is enforceable through a City of Portland ordinance. The discussion to lift the pilot program restrictions was tabled until January 2016; at which time, the City of Portland will make a formal request to the Marine Board. Additionally, staff withdrew its request to initiate rulemaking in Division 010, BUII Rules, due to the Law Enforcement Advisory Group identifying a need for training and standardization of sobriety testing prior to pursuing statutory and rule changes. The staff report is available online http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/Pages/admin/members.aspx for interested parties who want more background information on agenda items from this meeting.