Bill > HB2978

This bill establishes a comprehensive program by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and promote public safety, focusing on areas where wildlife corridors intersect with public roads. The program includes conducting feasibility studies, developing plans to modify road infrastructure, updating guidance materials and highway specifications to incorporate wildlife crossing features, creating a training program to educate transportation employees about wildlife interactions, and developing a publicly available list of priority projects. The bill requires ODOT to coordinate with local and tribal governments and, in collaboration with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, to consider and incorporate measures that minimize impacts to wildlife corridor connectivity. Additionally, the bill mandates the creation of a diverse advisory group through a joint memorandum of understanding between ODOT and the Fish and Wildlife Department to collaborate on program goals, share scientific information, coordinate outreach, and identify priority areas for reducing wildlife-vehicle conflicts. The legislation also requires biennial reporting to legislative committees, detailing project progress, implementation timelines, funding strategies, and the impact of wildlife corridor infrastructure projects. The advisory group provisions are set to be repealed on January 2, 2035, and the bill encourages the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to pursue projects supporting wildlife mobility, particularly within priority areas identified in the Oregon Connectivity Assessment and Mapping Project.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB2978