Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JULY 10, 2017 Timber company sues state over nixed sale of Elliott Claims breach of agreement By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — A Roseburg timber company is suing the Department of State Lands and the State Land Board for about $3.3 million for backing out of the sale of the Elliott State Forest. Lone Rock Resources, which until May was posi- tioned to buy an 82,500-acre swath of the state forest near the southwest Oregon Coast for $220.8 million, claims that when the state canceled its plan to sell the forest, it “mate- rially (breached) the agree- ment and understandings of the parties.” The Elliott is a state trust land, which means that the state is required to generate revenue from it for the Com- Oregon Department of Forestry A Roseburg timber company has filed suit alleging the state breached an agreement with the company when it canceled its plan to sell the Elliott State Forest. mon School Fund, an endow- ment for K-12 education. For years, logging on the forest had provided that reve- nue. But recently, due to more stringent enforcement of envi- ronmental regulations and protections for endangered species, the state struggled to make money off the land. So the land board — the governor, secretary of state and treasurer — sought to sell it to a private or public entity and embarked on a detailed process to try to find a buyer. Last fall, Lone Rock was the sole company to propose buying the forest for the price the state set: $220.8 million. The company alleges it spent about $1.3 million to comply with the protocol the state had set up for selling the forest, and seeks that amount in damages, plus interest, as well as lost opportunity dam- ages of $2 million. The company also argues that it was reasonable to assume that the state would comply with its obligations to make money from the Com- mon School Fund land, which are laid out in the state’s constitution. Since Lone Rock submit- ted a plan for buying the for- est last fall, political opposi- tion to the sale mounted until the State Land Board with- drew from the sale process altogether in May. The Department of State Lands, through a spokes- woman, said that it does not comment on current or possi- ble litigation. On Friday, the state Leg- islature approved about $100 million in bonds to buy a part of the forest and decouple it from its Common School Fund obligations, reflecting the suggestion of Gov. Kate Brown, the chairwoman of the land board. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Thousands flee raging wildfires burning in the US and Canada Associated Press OROVILLE, Calif. — Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the west- ern U.S. and Canada, destroy- ing a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Here’s a look at the wild- fires blackening the West. Two major wildfires in Cal- ifornia have sent nearly 8,000 people fleeing to safety. About 4,000 people evac- uated and another 7,400 were told to prepare to leave their homes as fire swept through grassy foothills in the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles north of Sacramento, the Cali- fornia Department of For- estry and Fire Protection said Sunday. AP Photo/Noah Berger Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. The fire burned nearly 8 square miles, destroyed at least 10 structures and dam- aged critical infrastruc- ture, leading Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency to provide assis- tance to local authorities. Fire spokeswoman Mary Ann Aldrich said additional homes were destroyed over- night. An inspection team is trying to determine the extent of the damage. A & E Security AKS Engineering Alfonse Excavating AMJ Insulation BDH Fire Protection Service BOGH Electric Brothers Construction Capri Architecture Cascade Floors Mo’s Astoria would like to personally thank all the contractors, businesses, and the City of Astoria for their unrelenting service, dedication, and energy that went into renovating our newest Mo’s restaurant! Coast Garage Columbia Steel Custom Woodworks David Aho Construction DC Drywall Englund Marine Full Bore Glasco Glass Co. Israel Plumbing Jim Leitch Jo Brown Klete Luther Construction M & F Plumbing Mead Engineering Millwork Solutions Nickolaus Michael Construction North Pacifi c Excavation P & L Johnson Mechanical Randy Stemper Ultra Quiet Floors Van Dusen Beverage Velaszquez Painting & Co. WCT Marine & Construction Will Knox Co.
