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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2020)
OREGON NEWS 6A — BAKER CITY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Timber firms, environmental groups agree on logging law By Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau A new deal between Oregon’s timber industry and environmentalists to protect forest waters, modernize log- ging regulations and create a new conservation plan was an- nounced Monday by Gov. Kate Brown and representatives of both interests. The two sides have been at odds over policy and practices for decades, and this agree- ment aims to create a media- tion process for updating the Oregon Forest Practices Act, passed in 1971. The deal has three major points, the fi rst being partici- pation in a mediated process to change the Forest Practices Act by creating a conservation plan for all private timberland to protect threatened and endangered species and pro- vide certainty for the timber industry. The second piece is agree- ment over legislation that would require timber compa- nies to notify nearby residents when aerial spraying of pesti- cides occurs and place buffers along streams in Southern Oregon forests that supply drinking water. Finally, both sides agreed to drop forestry-related ballot ini- tiatives and pending litigation. Environmental groups were working to get stricter forest rules into law by going to the voters this fall. FLOODING Greg Miller, representing the forestry coalition. “This is a shared recognition of the diverse benefi ts Oregon’s forests provide and the need for more meaningful dialogue around forest issues across the state,” Miller said. According to Brown, the agreement between the two sides started when CEOs from the state’s largest timber companies approached her to fi nd a way out of the embroiled dialogue surrounding timber practices and conservation. A series of conversations fol- lowed over the past four weeks that led to the agreement. For Van Dyke, the agree- ment culminates more than 20 Amanda Loman / The Coos Bay World via AP years of bickering and lawsuits A deal between Oregon’s timber industry and environmental groups will revise the between timber interests and state’s Forest Practices Act. environmentalists over what takes place in Oregon’s forests ine show of good faith from ev- while Washington state led the “This agreement is a genuine show eryone involved,” Brown said way in conserving endangered of good faith from everyone involved. at a news conference Monday species and protecting drink- All sides have agreed this process of morning. “It ensures that all ing water. key voices will be heard in the “While the Wild Salmon improving the Oregon Forest Practices process, including our vital Center and many of the sign- Act will be informed by science and small-woodland owners and ers of this (memorandum of driven by science.” Oregon’s federally recognized understanding) today have tribes. All sides have agreed been part of that 20 years — Oregon Governor Kate Brown this process of improving the of tension, the results have Oregon Forest Practices Act been a lack of trust, gridlock The agreement was joined side. Oregon Wild, Cascadia will be informed by science on forest policy and growing by Hampton Lumber, Wey- Wildlands, Beyond Toxics, the and driven by science.” public demand for broader erhaeuser, Stimson Lumber, Wild Salmon Center, Oregon Present in Brown’s cer- reform of laws,” Van Dyke said. Roseburg Forest Products, League of Conservation Vot- emonial offi ce to make the “Today we’re starting a new Hancock Natural Resource ers and Rogue Riverkeeper announcement with her was approach.” Group and Port Blakely and highlight the environmental Bob Van Dyke of the Wild From a 10,000-foot level, the the Oregon Small Woodlands groups that signed on. Salmon Center, representing deal seems to favor environ- Association on the timber “This agreement is a genu- the environmentalists, and mental interests, but Miller into their system to remind them to make regular trips around the impacted locations. Continued from Page 3A Riverview Mobile Home Estates Roberts said Pendleton police have been aided by the city’s affected has also been easier to monitor areas being isolated to the Riverside because there’s only one road in and neighborhood on the east end and one road out, Roberts said, and so far there has been one report of a theft a smaller location on the west end at the trailer park that is under where they’ve been able to focus investigation. patrols. According to an email from “Unfortunately, it hasn’t slowed Milton-Freewater Police Chief Doug down any calls for service coming between those locations,” he said. Boedigheimer, his department hasn’t According to Roberts, offi cer’s made any arrests of looters, but has vehicles have alerts programmed increased patrols in neighborhoods east of Highway 11 and South Main Street where people were evacu- ated between Friday and Sunday morning. Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said other than the sub- stantial damage suffered at River- front Park and surrounding areas, Hermiston neighborhoods weren’t impacted like those elsewhere in the county. However, a disruption to reg- ular traffi c patterns led to a higher volume of vehicles and a few crashes in town and on Highway 395. “The infl ux of traffi c caused quite the nightmare,” he said. With much of the most impacted areas coming outside city limits along the county’s back roads, Uma- tilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan said he has directed his deputies to patrol those areas as often as pos- sible. But many of the more affected areas, such as Bingham Road, Walla Walla River Road and Mill Creek Road, are impassible even for police. However, Rowan said neighbors who are waiting out the aftermath of the fl oods in those areas of the coun- ty have been “vigilant” in watching believes that isn’t so. According to Miller, the timber industry in Oregon is proud of its environmental stewardship and is equally interested in protecting water from aerial spraying of herbi- cides and using technology to let local residents know in real time of spraying. “This is going to be a best- in-class practice for real-time notifi cation, increasing the dis- tance for the notifi cations, and having the spray records avail- able within 24 hours,” Miller said. “Those kinds of things are diffi cult to develop in terms of execution on the ground. ... I think that’s the thing that got us over the hurdle.” The agreement cites moving forward with a science-based approach, but often the two sides have offered different science to back their positions. Miller and Van Dyke agreed that while they guarantee there still will be differences of opinion, they’re committed to using science as a means to engage and work together on solutions. Brown said that, moving forward, the next step would be to shepherd through the Legislature new rules and buffers on aerial spraying in forests and notifi cation for local residents. After that, both sides will update the Oregon Forest Practices Act and create the statewide habitat conser- vation plan. out for the homes of neighbors who evacuated. In a press release Monday night, the Confederated Tribes of the Uma- tilla Indian Reservation Incident Command announced it has directed the Umatilla Tribal Police Depart- ment to send additional patrols to affected areas on the reservation. “Anyone traveling along upper Cayuse and Bingham roads may be subject to a traffi c stop to determine residency and offi cial business to be conducted in affected areas,” the release said.
