OLCV e-bulletin: New director, county highlights, and news from Salem
 We are thrilled to announce that OLCV has hired a new executive director. Jon Isaacs served most recently as US Senator Jeff Merkley's State Director, and prior to that, Merkley's campaign manager in his successful US Senate race. He will come on board in early October.
Jon will succeed Jonathan Poisner, who has been at the helm of OLCV for the last 12 years. In that time, Jonathan has grown the organization into a thriving grassroots force that makes a real difference in both electing environmental leaders and passing laws that protect Oregon's environmental legacy. We wish Jonathan well, and are excited about Jon, but it will be difficult to say goodbye.
Stay tuned for more about Jon after he comes on board!
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The 2009 Legislative session seems like it ended long ago, but it was just a couple of weeks ago that the governor finished signing bills into law -- or vetoing them.
And we have much to celebrate on both fronts. After signing the landmark bill that will permanently protect the Metolius River basin, Gov. Kulongoski signed some of the Oregon Conservation Network's priority bills into law, including key legislation to combat global warming. Those bills include:
In addition, the governor vetoed House Bill 2940. This bill would have cut the amount of renewable energy required under Oregon's Renewable Energy Standard by counting old biomass facilities as new renewable energy. We thank the Governor for taking a stand on this bill. But there is more reason to celebrate. The governor also signed House Bill 3369, a comprehensive water management package that helps migrating fish in the Columbia River and protects streamflows in the Umatilla Basin. It also establishes environmental standards for new water projects around the state.
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| Two more legislators resign their seats | ||
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Last month, we reported that Vicki Walker was leaving her Senate seat to chair the state parole board. Since then, Rep. Chris Edwards (D-Eugene) was unanimously appointed to fill her senate seat, and two more legislators have announced they will be leaving their seats.
And last week, Rep. Larry Galizio (D-Tigard) announced he will vacate his seat for a position with the Oregon University System. Rep. Galizio scored a 94% on OLCV's 2007 Environmental Scorecard. He supported key environmental legislation in 2009 as well, including the key vote that passed the Metolius Bill. The Washington County Commission will appoint a replacement. OLCV thanks Rep Galizio for his service and wishes him well.
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OLCV's eight county chapters have been very busy this summer. As you may have read in July's e-bulletin, OLCV county chapters have been hosting a range of events around the state involving anything from bourbon to ice cream to, um, chickens.
Coming up THIS SATURDAY, August 22 in Deschutes County:
BBQ, Music and Fun! in Bend, from 6 - 9 p.m.
(And did you see Deschutes County organizer Ben Gordon's blog post on his bike trip through Iowa?)
Right now, OLCV is building a bigger and better Marion County chapter. We are looking for steering committee members and volunteers who can help elect pro-environment candidates, track votes for Marion County's 2010 Environmental Scorecard, and do other important work. Find out how you can help!
And things have been heating up in Washington County, from bike transportation, to county races and even the governor's race. OLCV Washington County organizer Andy Maggi ties it all together on the OLCV Blog.
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Do you want to find out how your legislators scored on the environment in 2009? OLCV's 2009 Environmental Scorecard for the Oregon Legislature will be released in mid-September. This year's Scorecard will include:
You will find all this and more on OLCV's newly redesigned website, set to launch in mid-September. Stay tuned!
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| Thanks all around: Survey takers, photo contestants, and awesome interns |
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We have asked a lot of you lately, and you have delivered. We want to say thank you because:
Since the session ended, more than 200 of you gave us feedback on this very e-bulletin. We are combing through your answers now. Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey!
Many of you entered your photos in our Photo Contest for this year's Scorecard cover. We have been pouring over the array of images of beautiful beaches, sweet rivers, wild flowers and craggy peaks. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos! Check out the Scorecard in September to find out who the winner is.
And last, but definitely not least, we want to thank our three superstar interns, Katie Barzee, David Gerber and Suedi Walker, who did important work for the organization over the summer, work that will have a lasting impact on the work we are all doing here. Thank you Katie, David and Suedi!
 And if you'd like to see Oregon through a newcomer's eyes, check out Seudi's blog posts on the OLCV Blog: Feeding the Fire and East Coast-West Coast.
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Just days ago, 
We need proactive leaders that we can depend on to protect the health of our environment and that of Oregonians.