Gov. Kotek may veto Willamette Falls Trust funding

Published 3:25 pm Friday, August 1, 2025

This story has been updated from its original version. 

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has signaled a possible veto to a budget line item that appropriated $45 million in lottery bonds for the Willamette Falls Trust, a move that may hamper public access to the falls. 

The Trust, which is led by former Gov. Kate Brown, is a partnership between Portland General Electric and delegated representatives from four tribes with historic ties to the area. In May, the tribes, along with the Trust, asked lawmakers for additional funding to support the Inter-Tribal Public Access Project. That funding, $45 million, was part of HB 5006, the “Christmas tree” appropriation bill passed at the end of the 2025 legislative session. 

The access project is intended to bring public access to the falls and restore the surrounding uplands along the river. The $45 million allocated by the Legislature was specifically meant to fund the acquisition of a portion of Moore’s Island — PGE-owned land between the falls and the navigational locks — and other properties above the falls. 

“The Governor supports the opportunity of creating public access to the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls, from both sides of the falls. She is exercising her due diligence to understand more fully the use of these dollars and wants to hear more from all interested parties. She has been a supporter of creating public access to the falls in the past and is committed to dedicating public funding that builds that access in the most equitable, responsible manner possible,” Kotek’s office said in a press release on Friday, Aug. 1.

In a news release issued Friday, the Trust emphasized that Willamette Falls is “one of Oregon’s most remarkable natural landmarks” but has been largely inaccessible for well over a century.

“The state’s investment is critical to the future of this site. It will guarantee that all Oregonians and visitors have access to, and enjoy the beauty, grandeur, and historical cultural importance of Willamette Falls,” said Robert Kentta, a Trust Board Member and representative of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, in the news release.

Added West Linn Mayor Rory Bialostosky in the release: “Willamette Falls is one of Oregon’s most spectacular natural wonders and, unfortunately, one of its least accessible. This funding is critical to the future of our community, and we must not let this opportunity pass.”

The governor has until Aug. 8 to make a final decision about all vetoes.

“As a steward of tax dollars, the Governor is specifically interested in how past allocations, including $12.5 million in state lottery bonds and $20 million in Metro parks and nature bonds, will be or have been spent before approving an additional $45 million. She looks forward to the conversations ahead to inform her final decision,” the press release said. 

The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde withdrew from the Trust partnership in 2022, after the first iteration of the Inter-Tribal Public Access Project fell apart. The Grand Ronde purchased the former Blue Heron Paper Mill property on the Oregon City side of the river in 2019. On that property, the Grand Ronde are working on their own development called tumawata village. 

The Grand Ronde remains the only of the original five tribes to oppose the $45 million allocation. Kotek’s office did not mention the Grand Ronde in its memo explaining the veto.