Sen. President Courtney: No CRC Special Session

Senate President Peter Courtney

Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) issued a statement today expressing his desire for hearings on the Oregon-only version of the Columbia River Crossing project championed by Gov. John Kitzhaber and House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland).

Courtney has been far less enthusiastic than the other two about the project since Washington lawmakers refused to match Oregon's $450 million contribution to the CRC this summer.

Courtney says he now wants public hearings to resolve some of the unanswered questions about how Oregon would pay for a deal that has always been pitched as a partnership with the larger and wealthier state to our north.

But perhaps more notable than his call for hearings if Courtney's declaration that if Oregon lawmakers revisit the CRC, they should do so in the scheduled February 2014 mini-session, rather than coming back this calendar year for another special session.

Here's Courtney's full statement (empahasis added):



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