State senator Jeff Golden, is advocating for significant changes to Oregon’s Wildfire Hazard Map, aiming to address growing concerns among property owners.
The map, initially created in 2022 as part of a wildfire prevention package. It has faced backlash from homeowners worried about insurance rates and potential new building requirements.
This is despite a 2023 law prohibiting insurers from using the map to calculate risk.
Golden, who chairs the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire, wants to amend Senate Bill 762 to remove property-level risk designations and replace them with low-, medium-, and high-risk designations for broader areas.
The senator hopes these changes will quell anger among property owners.