Groshong: Initiative Petition 13 will devastate Eastern Oregon’s economy
By Terry Murry on Monday, March 21st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Blue Mountain Chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association is getting ready for a fight. A group that wants to rewrite animal treatment in the state is collecting signatures for Initiative Petition 13 to get it on the November ballot. The official title of the initiative is the Abuse, Neglect, and Assault Exemption Modification and Improvement Act.” Chapter President Dean Groshong says it’s a threat to hunters, fishers, and livestock producers throughout the state.
“They want to eliminate all deer and elk hunting, all cattle raising, and all rodeos,” he said. “That is going to just devastate a lot of communities’ economy in the state of Oregon.”
The proposed initiative would criminalize things like transportation and slaughter of livestock, hunting, fishing, trapping, and control of pests and vermin. It would also reclassify the breeding of domestic, livestock, and equine animals as sexual assault.
OHA said the damage would not just be to hunters. Oregon’s rural economies would be decimated including tourism-driven losses. All meat and dairy products would be shipped in from out of state, effectively creating a “food desert” in Oregon. The organizers supporting the initiative must collect 112,020 signatures by July 8 to get on the ballot for November.
