A bill to protect the Metolius River from development falls short of passing.
The Oregon House rejected a bill that would have overridden Jefferson County’s ability to allow two resorts along the Metolius River. The bill failed by one vote after passing in the Senate.
Supporters of the bill, which fell a single vote short of passing, said the Metolius basin is a place of pristine beauty that deserves special protection by being designated an “area of critical statewide concern….”
Opponents of the bill said the Legislature shouldn’t intrude in local land-use decisions by Jefferson County officials to make sites available for a pair of destination resorts in the area.
Read the full article by the Associated Press in the Statesman Journal.
