Oregon Representative Anna Scharf (R-Amity) led 19 legislators from both sides of the aisle sending a letter to Governor Kotek requesting her consideration of private, member only golf courses as available land before taking farmland out of production.

Senate Bill 4, the Semiconductor Bill, passed out of the House on Thursday, April 6th and was signed by Governor Kotek. The bill dedicates $190 million to develop a grant and loan program to support semiconductor businesses looking to expand in Oregon, providing the opportunity for significant federal funding support provided by the CHIPS and Science Act that Congress passed and President Biden signed in August 2022. It also funds $10 million to help communities prepare land for manufacturing sites and $10 million for a University Innovation Research fund that will help public universities secure federal research grants.

During debate on the House floor, several members raised concerns about Section 10 of the legislation that provides the Governor broad authority over its implementation.

Lawmakers wrote, “We raised concern that farmland has inadequate protections in the bill – frequently reminding our colleagues that once farmland is paved over, it is lost forever. We challenged the mindset that farmland is the only available option for the land needed in Senate Bill 4.”

In the letter, the lawmakers proposed two alternative suggestions to farmland, including Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains and Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha.

• Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains is 350-acres. It meets the 3-mile criteria and could easily be converted to a semiconductor support site, close to the Silicon Forrest. It is a member only course that caters to a few that can afford to join.
• The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha. Again, within the 3-mile parameter and close to many of the other smaller existing semiconductor supply chain companies. This 319-acre site charges $79 a day to play golf and holds weddings and events that only members can host.

“If we are going to look at open spaces and available land for semiconductors, we believe we should consider all open spaces – not just farmland,” wrote the lawmakers. “Large, open fields in the Willamette Valley are not purposeless. These fields are feeding our families, Oregonians, and the world. A member only golf course does not.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Governor Kotek gave a statement about the impact of the bill, “Oregon has been at the center of the semiconductor industry in the United States for decades. This bill is an absolutely essential tool for leading a coordinated effort with the private sector to ensure we can compete for federal funds to expand advanced manufacturing in Oregon. We are poised to lay the foundation for the next generation of innovation and production of semiconductors.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-04-13 15:40:39

Last Update: 2023-04-13 20:28:43