OR Measure 7 Approved

A ballot initiative that passed in Oregon on November 7, 2000 is worrying both environmentalists and fiscal conservatives.

Measure 7, approved by a margin of 54% to 46%, amends the Oregon constitution to require state and local governments to reimburse private property owners when regulations reduce the value of their property. It applies only when regulations were imposed since a property was acquired by the owner and when those regulations demonstrably reduce the property’s value. This “takings” issue could hamper Oregon’s progressive growth-control initiatives, including urban growth boundaries, as well as measures to protect waterways and beaches from pollution. Governor John Kitzhaber, who opposed the initiative, predicted prior to the election that “beach protection laws would be impossible to enforce.