Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, has formally requested Oregon’s Department of Transportation to answer questions regarding public outreach and the authority of its tolling advisory committee.
In a letter to Matthew Garrett, director of Oregon DOT, Herrera Beutler penned eight questions focused on the committee.
“As an elected representative of the citizens of Washington who are among the heaviest users of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205, I write to seek clarification on the process by which Oregon will finalize the tolling plan called for in Oregon’s House Bill 2017,” she stated in the letter.
Herrera Beutler asked for answers to her questions prior to the committee’s first meeting on Monday, Nov. 20.
She asks what statutory authority the committee has, questioned the efforts taken to advertise the meeting, and asked what the procedures are if the Oregon Transportation Commission disagrees with the recommendations of the tolling advisory committee.
Oregon is looking at imposing tolls on the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 bridge at the Washington state line. Herrera Beutler previously stated the plan is an unfair deal for those who live in the Evergreen state. A survey conducted by the congresswoman received 8,500 responses from Southwest Washington residents. Ninety percent of the participants opposed the tolling plans. `
