Roberts: Timber plan upsets all
WASHINGTON (AIM President Clinton
appears to t>e well on Hi's way to finding a North
west forest solution that will upset loggers and
environmentalists alike. Oregon Gov Barbara
Roberts said Monday
"At the timber conference, the president said. If
we do this right, everyone will lx* mail I think
they may have sin i eeded." Roberts said
Roberts met with Vn e President Al Core and
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in separate ses
sums Monday to get an update on the administra
tion's efforts to find a Northwest compromise
"I think it is t tear the president is involved in
the pro< ess at this point in lime I don't think a
decision has been made yet. Roberts told
reporters after meeting w ith Babbitt
Roberts, a first-term Domoi rat. said the loss of
limber jobs is unavoidable under any of the man
agement alternatives being considered, but that the
timber industry is grossly exaggerating the imp«< t
One industry estimate put the job loss in excess
of HO.D00 if timber harvests fall as low ns 1 2 bil
lion Ixwrd feet on federal lands in Western Oregon,
western Washington and Northern California
"We are not going to lose HO (too jobs in Oregon
under any one of the i ompnnents of tins plan.
Roberts said
"I think we (ould sa\ without reservation there
will be jobs lost as a result of the plan I don t
Itelieve there is any wav to meet si ientifn i rede
bilily and honesty and still protet t all of the |obs
that are part of the industry now." she said
I'lie governor said timber communities in her
state "have a reason to tx> fearful."
"We are talking about an industry that has Ihhui
a major, and in some < uses the only, employer in
some communities This is a very difficult period
for those communities," she said
Roberts said it is possible to resume some log
ging in the region without securing an exemption
to environmental lows, whii li is one of the options
reportedly under consideration
Liter. .1 f?or a meeting with Rep Ron Wyden. D
Ore . Roberts told reporters, "There are some
pus <*s ! still don't have details on
"It will he knowing those details — know ing
what the final m lentifu pint es look like, knowing
w hat the final ei onornn piei es look like that
w ill determine tm final comfort level." she said
Wyden and Roberts said they would l>e working
to bolster limber-related jobs that don't dejMtnd on
such high levels of harvests Wyden said he is not
interested solely in retraining workers
"We don’t at < ept the idea ol the federal govern
ment tolling into timber-dependent < ommnnities
ami saving. 'Okay, everybody here is going to
liei omt <1 1 ompsiter jockey.'" Wyden said
Roberts said the timber harvest levels of the I'tHOs
"are < learlv unrealistic. partii ularly with the news
lost week that there have been some discrepnn
i ics for a numlier of years in the numlwir of avail
able acres of harvest in Oregon and Washington."
Rolierts was referring a report Oregon State Uni
versity forest economist K Norman Johnson pre
pared for President (Hinton, which said harvest
potential was greatly exaggerated in the 1‘1‘iOs for
est plans for 17 national forests in Oregon and
Washington
Ai i ording to the memo obtained by Hie Ore
gonian newspajMir. the Willamette National Forest
plan overstated the amount of timtier that could lie
sold In 40 pen ent. and the I !mp<|ua National For
te,! plait overestnnaUHl its potential limiter yield by
30 percent
Leaders of two dozen environmental groups
asked Attorney General Janet Reno on Monday to
investigate possible criminal wrongdoing by For
est Serv ice of fit ia!s in arriving at those estimates
"It is i tear that this w as done to justify unsus
tainahiy high levels of timber* idling on the forests
in violation of the National Forest Management
Ai t and other federal laws." said Larry Tuttle,
exei utive director of the (Iregon Natural Kesoun es
Council.
Eugene man looses drug-test appeal
WASHINGTON (AIM A
Federal Aviation Administrn
lion tm hni( inn from Fugone,
Ore . who was fired for refusing
to lake a drug test, lost a
Supreme Court appeal Monday
Without comment. the t our!
let stand the dismissal of Gerald
Watson )r.
Watson was an electronics
lei him inn at an KAA field office
in Kugene that installed and
maintained navigation and air
traffic control equipment.
On Aug. IH, 1‘tHH. he was
summoned for a random drug
test required under the govern
ment's ' drug-free federal work
plaie" policy.
Watson consulted a lawyer,
who told him the was illegal
Ix-i ouse n federal appeals court
had barred posi-ac< idenl drug
lusting of railway employees
unless offi< mis had reason to
believe a worker was using
drugs. Thai ruling later was
reversed by the Supreme tanirt
Watson refused to take the
drug test, although he went to a
private clinic and underwent a
test that showed no drug use
The FAA's regional manager
suspended Watson. He was fired
thi* following Ik* ember.
An administrative judge for the
Merit Ns stems Protection Hoard
red in <iii tin- penalty to a 45-day
suspension and ordered Watson
reinstated with bai F pay The
agency abused its discretion in
removing Watson, the judge said.
The full Merit Systems Pro
tection Board. however,
reversed and ordered Watson
fired The l: S Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit upheld
the firing last year.
In the appeal a< ted on Mon
day. Watson's lawyers said the
hoard should have deferred to
the administrative judge's eval
uation of the regional manager's
testimony
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Legislator denies
harassment charges
SALEM (AP) — State Sen Rod Johnson denied I he latest sex
harassment allegations against him Monday and said his oppo
nents are lining up "phantom accusers" to make new charges,
"The efforts of the people behind this attack are reminis
cent of the McCarthy ism of the 1950s and are despicable," the
Rnseburg Republican said at a news conference
Johnson, arc ompanied by his wife, Cathy, read a prepared
statement but declined to answer reporters' questions about
who might In* behind such an effort against him.
A spokeswoman for the Women's Rights Coalition called
Johnson's assertion about being the victim of a "witch hunt"
absurd and said that Johnson was only trying to divert attention
from his own inappropriate conduct
Over the weekend. 7/ie Register-Guard newspaper in Eugene
reported that three more current or former legislative employ
ee's have said they were the target of unwanted sexual advances
or inappropriate conduct by Johnson None of the three women
would agree to lie identified in the newspaper story.
Two other women earlier made similar accusations against
tin* PJ-year-oid Rnseburg senator.
One of them. Michelle Mitchell, a former Johnson staffer,
confronted the senator as he was leaving the news conference.
"You’re a liar." Mitchell told Johnson.
"You are the liar." Johnson shot liack.
In May. lohnson apologized for "inappropriate comments”
in- made to Mitchell hut continued to deny her allegations that
he made unwelcome sexual advances while the two were on a
business trip.
Meanwhile, the majority Democrats in the Senate announced
plans to meet Tuesday to discuss possible disciplinary action
against Johnson.
Senate Majority Lender Dick Springer said the latest allega
tions against Johnson "certainly seem consistent with what
we've heard from other women vvho've been employed by the
Legislature."
"if these allegations are true, and 1 have no reason to doubt
them, then we've got an obligation to weigh some very serious
sanctions, including a possible censure,” the Portland Demo
crat said.
Tho controversy over Johnson s reported harassment ol
women working around him also threatened to become the
source of a partisan squabble in what already has been a con
tentious legislative session
Springer said the latest aci usations involved conduct by
Johnson when he was serving in the Republican-controlled
House in 1991. For that reason. Springer said. House Speaker
Larry ('.ainpbell and other House Republicans should conduct
their own investigation of Johnson
"It happened on their watch and involved their own mem
ber." Springer said. "There's no question they should l»e look
ing at this "
Osn Jarman, a spokesman for Campbell, said that tho speak
er's office never received a complaint against Johnson while the
Koseburg lawmaker was serving in the House
"If we would have, we would have dealt with it and taken
immediate action." Jarman said.
At this point, the House's internal rules preclude it from
investigating conduct that’s nearly two years old. he said.
"Even if we could get involved at this time, we would have
no authority over Sen Johnson since he doesn't belong to this
body," Jarman added.
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