Ballot initiative seeks to repeal new permit fees on standup paddleboards and kayaks - The New Era

Ballot initiative seeks to repeal new permit fees on standup paddleboards and kayaks - The New Era

Lawmakers recently levied fees on the human-powered vessels to raise funds to fight invasive species.   By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism Project A trio of petitioners aims to repeal a new law that would require paddle-boarders and flatwater kayakers to pay state permit fees starting in January.  “I think it goes against our constitutional rights,” says Angela Epperson, a Hermiston resident who enjoys kayaking on the Columbia and Umatilla River…

Ballot initiative seeks to repeal new permit fees on standup paddleboards and kayaks

A trio of petitioners aims to repeal a new law that would require paddleboarders and flatwater kayakers to pay state permit fees starting in January.  “I think it goes against our constitutional rights,” says Angela Epperson, a Hermiston resident who enjoys kayaking on the Columbia and Umatilla Rivers. “I just think they’ve gone too far.”  In the session that ended in late June, lawmakers expanded the Oregon State Marine Board’s permitting syst…