PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The timber industry in Oregon is sorry to see the head of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management switching jobs.
Tom Partin of the American Forest Resource Council said Friday that the departure of Bob Abbey will “foul up” efforts to resolve problems over logging on so-called O&C lands in Western Oregon managed by BLM.
Abbey was tapped by the Obama administration to take over the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service, which has come under harsh criticism over the oil drilling spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Bush administration was ramping up logging on the O&C lands, but the Obama administration scrapped that plan, because it would not stand up to challenges under the Endangered Species Act.
