Complicating the Rural in Oregon's Water Policymaking PDF Download

Author: Misty Freeman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Water-supply
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
The state of Oregon is divided in important ways along rural and urban lines, including the way people make a living, individual and group relationships with the natural world, political ideologies, and personal values. This rural-urban divide has assisted policymakers in making decisions that balance the needs of Oregonians on either side, but it does not allow for a nuanced understanding of the diverse needs of rural places. Water policy in the state of Oregon offers a timely opportunity to study the continuing relevance of the rural-urban divide as a tool for policymakers. An analysis of a suite of recent state water policies and interviews with professionals involved in water policy at the state level provide background to understand key issues affecting Oregon as a whole. Three rural case studies offer insight into how water issues are affecting different rural communities differently around the state. Research findings illustrate that rural-urban differences continue to have importance in policymaking in Oregon, particularly with respect to the challenge of community capacity and the rural-urban power dynamic in state level decisionmaking. However, of equal importance is the diversity of rural places themselves. Findings suggest that individualized consideration is important to address water issues that differ by community, such as drought, decreased snowpack, changed timing and volume of streamflows, and other issues that require custom solutions to meet diverse rural needs.