Oregon HB 3352: Relating to the creation of credits for the restoration of salmon habitat; prescribing an effective date.

Bill Text

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 3352
Sponsored by Representative BOICE, Senator SMITH DB
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: This Act tells the DSL to make a pilot program for owners of land to restore salmon
habitat. (Flesch Readability Score: 71.0).
Directs the Department of State Lands, in consultation with the State Department of Fish and
Wildlife, to develop a salmon credit pilot program to encourage the voluntary restoration of
salmonid habitat in the Coquille and Coos watershed basins.
Establishes the Salmon Credit Trust Fund.
Directs the Department of State Lands and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to consult
with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to develop or identify an existing programmatic
general permit to authorize restoration activities under the pilot program.
Becomes operative on the date that a programmatic general permit is established.
Provides that the Department of State Lands may not approve a salmon credit project on or
after January 2 of the sixth year following the establishment of a programmatic general permit.
Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to the creation of credits for the restoration of salmon habitat; and prescribing an effective
date.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. Sections 2 to 8 of this 2025 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 196.600
to 196.921.
SECTION 2. As used in sections 2 to 8 of this 2025 Act:
(1) “Compensatory mitigation” has the meaning given that term in ORS 196.600.
(2) “Credit generator” means an agricultural land or forestland owner that develops a
salmon credit project on the owner’s land.
(3) “Credit purchaser” means a person that purchases a salmon credit.
(4) “Mitigation bank” has the meaning given that term in ORS 196.600.
(5) “Salmon credit” means an instrument, based on the measure of the increase in the
functions and values of water resources of this state achieved at a salmon credit project,
that can be used to satisfy a compensatory mitigation obligation.
(6) “Salmon credit dividend” means a payment a credit generator is entitled to receive
based on retired salmon credits generated by the credit generator’s salmon credit project.
(7) “Salmon credit project” means a project on agricultural land or forestland to restore
waters of this state that are or have historically been salmonid habitat.
SECTION 3. (1) The Department of State Lands, in consultation with the State Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife, shall by rule develop a salmon credit pilot program to improve the
health of wild coho and chinook salmon in the Coquille watershed basin, which includes the
mainstem Coquille River and its forks and tributaries, and the Coos watershed basin. The
pilot program must:
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 4051

HB 3352
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(a) Encourage and create financial incentives for landowners to engage in voluntary
salmonid habitat restoration projects; and
(b) Allow persons to purchase salmon credits, only from salmon credit projects located
within the Coquille or Coos watershed basins, in order to comply with a condition imposed
on a permit in accordance with ORS 196.825 (5), an authorization issued in accordance with
ORS 196.800 to 196.921 or a resolution of a violation of ORS 196.800 to 196.921.
(2) In establishing the salmon credit pilot program, the Department of State Lands shall:
(a) Identify waters of this state and adjacent agricultural lands and forestlands suitable
for salmon credit projects, utilizing existing state and federal maps of salmonid habitat;
(b) Establish requirements for salmon credit projects, including:
(A) Restoration project types; and
(B) Requirements necessary to preserve the integrity of essential indigenous anadromous
salmonid habitat, as defined in ORS 196.810, affected by a salmon credit project;
(c) Prioritize salmon credit projects that will provide the greatest increase in functions
and values of water resources associated with salmon credit projects and the ability to fulfill
required mitigation values;
(d) Utilize current tools for measuring the functions and values of water resources as-
sociated with salmon credit project sites and sites for which a salmon credit will be pur-
chased;
(e) Establish procedures for the inspection, certification and recert