House Bill 2656 would ‘shut down the timber industry’

By Gerry Obrien, Editor
The Herald and News
April 16, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

OREGON — A bill proposed in the Oregon State Legislature aiming to ban clearcutting in forestland watershed is bad news for Oregonians. The bill, House Bill 2656, would ban clearcutting, roadbuilding, and the application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in forestland watersheds that supply public drinking water systems. There’s no doubt that protecting the state’s drinking water is a worthy endeavor, but as introduced, the bill would cripple logging operations across the state that already abide by strict regulations. Hampton Lumber, a Portland-based company, told the Capital Press that half of its 89,000 forested acres are in watersheds affected by the bill, and a spokesman for Roseburg Forest Products said the bill intends to “effectively shut down the timber industry.” …Even the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, said her bill may seem “drastic” and hoped the bill would “start a conversation.”
 

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