Bi-State Compact
The Columbia River Gorge Compact is the agreement between Oregon and Washington that jointly created the Columbia River Gorge Commission (Gorge Commission). This agreement is part of state law in both Oregon (ORS 196.150) and Washington (RCW 43.97.015).
The Gorge Commission has 13 members. The governors of Oregon and Washington each choose three members, and one from each state must live in the National Scenic Area. Each of the six Gorge counties also select one member. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture choses one non-voting member who must be from the USDA Forest Service. The Gorge Commission’s leadership includes a Chair and Vice-Chair. This structure helps create a fair balance of state and local voices across Washington and Oregon.
The compact also specifies how the states fund the Gorge Commission and outlines some of its specific powers. The Gorge Commission’s authority comes from this compact, which includes the National Scenic Area Act. This is why people sometimes refer directly to the National Scenic Area Act when talking about what the Gorge Commission can do.