Chair Tran delivers testimony on Fuel Diversification in House Emergency Management & Veterans

Описание: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/li...
"Colleagues, last week, we heard committee bills on ORVID, the volunteer database, and OREM authority — simple bills, addressing straightforward problems, with common-sense solutions.
HB 4032 is also a straightforward and common-sense bill that addresses a critical issue.
The Concentration of fuel storage in Portland leaves other parts of Oregon vulnerable to losing access to fuel when they need it most —
— After a catastrophic earthquake or tsunami event.
Oregon’s vulnerability to impacts means our liquid fuel system is at high risk of potentially catastrophic damage —
— areas of Oregon are likely to become isolated from road access as a result of bridge and road failures, hampering our ability to transport fuel into these areas.
Without reliable fuel access, emergency response and recovery actions will be inoperable.
A disruption to Oregon’s energy infrastructure can directly affect the security and resilience of other necessary systems, such as water or wastewater, health care, education, emergency response, and many others.
As Chair of Emergency Management, it is my duty to ensure no Oregonian is left without fuel when it could literally be the difference between life or death, no matter what part of the state they live in.

Oregon needs a deliberate hazard-informed assessment to support additional liquid fuel resilience in a changing landscape.

HB 4032 Directs ODOE (Oregon Department of Energy) to fast track initial prioritization of potential sites suitable for storing geographically dispersed fuel reserves.
This work is part of ODOE’s required update to the Energy Security Plan
However, that report is not due to the legislature until late 2028 and I would like to have this information sooner —
— So that the state can begin planning for fuel diversification as soon as possible.
This is not an aspirational project — we know that we are due for a Cascadia Subduction Zone event.
— We know that getting liquid fuel from the CEI Hub to Southern and Eastern parts of Oregon will be complicated and expensive, if possible at all.
Every year that we delay this work, we are gambling with Oregon-ians’ safety.
ODOE would need only one additional staffer in order to deliver this report work a year and a half earlier than they have planned.
ODOE’s team is very small, and has their hands full with their other critical energy work. The request for one support staff is more than reasonable.
On passage of HB 4032, ODOE will work with the private & public sector to identify strategic locations in proximity to key transportation routes that are essential to communities & lack sufficient fuel access.
I urge your support for this small yet critical investment.