Opinion
A4
Saturday, June 18, 2022
OUR VIEW
Lawsuit is
a failure on
both sides
A
recent move by a coalition of conserva-
tion groups to fi le a lawsuit to topple a
decision made by the Trump adminis-
tration that negated a rule that banned logging
of large trees on national forests east of the Cas-
cades is ultimately a sad reminder that little prog-
ress has been made regarding nonlegal solutions
to environmental challenges.
At the heart of the issue is what is known as
the 21-inch rule — an edict that restricted logging
of live trees larger than 21 inches in diameter
measured four and half feet off the ground — that
dates back to the mid-1990s.
The rule was created to address concerns from
environmental groups about the safety and via-
bility of old growth timber in national forests
across our region.
The environmental groups assert the Trump
administration’s move to lift the ban violates fed-
eral law — specifi cally the National Environ-
mental Policy Act and the National Forest Man-
agement Act — and offi cials should have crafted
an environmental impact statement to review the
impacts of a decision to lift the ban.
Proponents of lifting the ban contend abol-
ishing the rule gives agencies such as the Forest
Service more fl exibility in its eff ort to manage
forests to diminish wildfi re risk.
The suit — fi led in the U.S. District Court in
Pendleton — is yet another example of failure
for both the conservationists and the U.S.
Government.
Most — but not all — environmental law-
suits over fl ashpoint issues should never end
up in a courtroom. That’s because both sides
of any such issue not only carry the capacity
to work these challenges out but also hold a
responsibility to do so.
That responsibility isn’t to a long-held belief
in a specifi c dogma or blind obedience to a
new edict delivered in the waning days of an
administration.
No, the responsibility should be to those who
live and work and play in areas such as Eastern
Oregon. The voters of our region deserve better
than yet another long legal battle that consumes
time and money.
Opposing sides of any issue can sit down
and work out a compromise. There is no better
example of such a circumstance than the eff ort
spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden regarding
the Owyhee Canyonlands in Southeastern
Oregon. There, for years, environmentalists,
ranchers and others squared off on how best to
preserve pristine canyonland. In the end, Wyden
led the eff ort to work out a compromise between
the two groups. Was everyone satisfi ed? No. Did
everyone get what they wanted? No. Yet that’s
how democracy is supposed to work. Compro-
mise and the goal of working toward a viable
solution should be the focus, not going to court.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the
opinion of The Observer editorial
board. Other columns, letters and
cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of The Observer.
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The time to support local news is now
DEAN
RIDDINGS
OTHER VIEWS
C
ongress has an opportunity to
pass legislation that benefi ts
all local citizens, businesses
and even protects our democracy.
The Local Journalism Sustain-
ability Act, LJSA for short, should
be included as part of any upcoming
reconciliation bill that Congress is
considering.
The LJSA is a well-thought-out
bill that would provide needed sup-
port to local news organizations,
including local newspapers, to
ensure their viability as they con-
tinue to make progress toward a
digital future.
Many members of Congress
have seen what happens when a
newspaper closes in their district,
and they see the impact it has on
the community. That is why many
of our leaders, including Sens.
Cantwell, Schumer, Manchin,
Wyden and others, have stepped up
in support of the LJSA.
And while others in Congress
may not have signed on as co-spon-
sors of the bill yet, many recog-
nize the importance and the need to
maintain strong local news organi-
zations in their communities.
To understand what the LJSA is,
it is important to understand what it
is not. This is a temporary measure
to help newspapers at this critical
time, and it sunsets after fi ve years.
The LJSA won’t help national news
organizations, but it will support
local news organizations and help
them invest in their newsrooms
in order to continue to cover the
issues that impact local cities and
towns. The result is a bill that pro-
vides a bridge for local newspapers
as they continue to evolve their
business models.
So why is it so critical for Con-
gress to pass the LJSA now? Quite
simply, the future of local newspa-
pers in many areas of the country
hangs in the balance.
In the past 15 years, more than
a quarter of all newspapers have
disappeared, and many more have
been forced to make staff reduc-
tions that have diminished the
coverage of topics that impact
local citizens. The way people get
their information and advertise
their local businesses is quickly
moving to digital, and local news-
papers continue to be impacted by
the Big Tech companies that use
their original content without fair
compensation.
To make matters worse, news-
papers, like many other industries,
were fi nancially impacted by the
pandemic, even though the cov-
erage provided by local newspapers
was more vital than ever.
The current economic chal-
lenges have only hastened the need
for Congress to act on the LJSA
quickly. As infl ation is impacting
everyone, it has made the environ-
ment for local newspapers even
more challenging. The cost of
Dean Riddings is CEO of America’s Newspapers,
an association committed to explaining,
defending and advancing the vital role of
newspapers in democracy and civil life.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
STATE SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
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retaining employees has gone up.
The cost of newsprint has increased
30% over last year, and the cost of
gas used to deliver the newspaper
is up more than 50% in the past
two years. Many newspaper car-
riers drive hundreds and even thou-
sands of miles each week. These
increases have driven many local
newspapers closer to making fur-
ther reductions or even ceasing
operations.
Who wins with the passage of
the Local Journalism Sustainability
Act? Clearly, local newspapers win
by obtaining the support needed
to continue their investments in
reporting on local news. But the
real winners are the communities
that keep their local newspaper.
From watching the actions of
local government, reporting on
the state of local schools, tracking
local health trends or providing
the latest restaurant reviews and
sales information, local newspapers
keep a community connected and
informed.
We encourage everyone to reach
out to their representatives in Con-
gress and ask them to support local
journalism. Whether it is inclusion
of the LJSA in the budget reconcil-
iation bill or a standalone bill, the
time for action is now. It’s a rare
opportunity for government to act
on something that benefi ts us all.
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COPYRIGHT © 2022
Phone:
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Regional publisher ....................... Karrine Brogoitti
Home delivery adviser.......... Amanda Turkington
Interim editor ....................................Andrew Cutler
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