EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon Congressman has proposed a plan he says will keep logging, conservation and timber-dependent counties happy while unfurling the legal logjam that has stopped progress on talks among those interests.
They need to find a solution soon, as federal payments to counties are set to end this year and Congress is unlikely to renew them.
The timber industry says the current proposed federal solution doesn’t allow enough logging, and conservation interests say it doesn’t meet federal environmental requirements.
The Eugene Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/qA3tDF ) U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio says splitting Western Oregon lands in half will solve the problem. Half would be managed for timber revenue, and the other half would be given to environmental interests.
