Legislature is focused on semiconductors
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, March 7th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – Semiconductors are Oregon’s largest export. However, the state is playing catch-up as far as the federal CHIPS Act goes, which offers $52 billion in incentives.
The legislature has established the Joint Semiconductor Committee, which meets twice a week in Salem. Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) is one of the members of that panel and he said the state is not yet ready to benefit from the federal funding effort.
“In a lot of ways, Oregon is woefully unprepared to compete for these dollars and these companies,” he said. “That’s what this committee is doing.”
Topping the list is Senate Bill 4. If it’s passed it would give Gov. Tina Kotek the temporary power to redraw urban growth boundaries by executive order. That power would bypass the state’s land-use system. The goal is to pull more rural and into urban growth boundaries and designate it for industrial use by chip makers, advanced manufacturers and their suppliers.
Because of Intel, Oregon’s largest import is semiconductors. The state employs about 15 percent of the nation’s semiconductor workforce, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Graphic from the U.S. Department of Commerce
