Governor, rep trade words over bill to increase harvests

By MITCH LIES

Capital Press

SALEM -- Oregon Republicans are looking to natural resources to pull the state out of an economic downturn that has persisted since the fall of 2008, apparently dividing some Democrats.

One proposal, House Bill 4098, increases logging on state forests from the current 50 to 60 percent of annual growth to 85 percent.

Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany, chief sponsor of HB4098, said in a committee hearing last week that the bill would create 2,000 jobs, provide an additional $441 million in private sector income over five years and add $33 million in taxes.

"It's not big enough to solve our problems," Olson said, "but it is a foot in the door."

In testifying against the bill, Gov. John Kitzhaber told the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that HB4098 threatens to undermine efforts to gain consensus among conservation and timber groups on a bill recently introduced in Congress.

The Oregon and California Trust, Conservation and Jobs Plan introduced by Oregon Democratic Reps. Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader and Republican Rep. Greg Walden calls for setting aside about 1.2 million acres of Oregon's O&C railroad lands for conservation and managing the remaining 1.2 million acres for timber production.

"(HB4098) will not solve the problem in the short term, because it is not a volume problem," Kitzhaber said. "(The bill) will do little to change the management of federal lands, and in fact will polarize the landscape between the very parties that are going to have to come together if we are going to be successful in solving the challenges on O&C lands and the challenges facing the management of forests in Oregon.

"I understand and empathize with the short-term motivation here," Kitzhaber said. "But I believe that this would actually worsen the situation in terms of getting to the larger landscape fix we seek and I'm not sure it will have a short-term impact on the job challenges facing these local communities."

Kitzhaber's comments drew a rebuke from a fellow Democrat, Rep. Mike Shaufler of Happy Valley.

"If this Legislature and you don't move on (HB4098) or something like it, in my humble opinion, we are irresponsible and not fulfilling our obligation to put people back to work so they can feed and clothe and house themselves and their children and pay taxes so we can provide the services that people demand," Shaufler said.

Kitzhaber responded with: "I think it is equally irresponsible to hold out false hope to people. I do not think you can solve a 9 percent unemployment rate on 800,000 acres of state forest land.

"You need to go where the money is," Kitzhaber said. "And the money is on federal land."

"It is not false hope," Shaufler said. "It is false hope to sit here and suggest that if we don't do any of those things we are going to drag ourselves out of this rut."

Olson also addressed the federal forest issue in his testimony, saying: "We are not in control of what is happening federally.

"We are here in Oregon and we have the ability to do something that is very simple to at least put about 2,000 people back to work," Olson said.

Dave Invanoff, vice president of resources for Hampton Affiliates in Portland, said in his testimony that already seven conservation groups have come out against the congressional forest plan. The opposition throws into question whether consensus can be reached, Shaufler said.

"(The seven organizations) are not interested in a comprehensive forestry management plan," Shaufler said. "They are interested in destroying the timber industry in Oregon. And that is all there is to it. And everyone in here knows it.

"We haven't been working together for 30 years, and I don't see it changing in the next 30," he said.

The committee unanimously passed HB4098. It now is in the Ways and Means Committee.