Tag Archives: Oregon

Ninth Circuit Invalidates Consent Decree: Parties Must Go Back To The Drawing Board

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JD Supra Law News 5/2/2013
Excerpt:      “On April 25, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit invalidated a consent decree that plaintiffs and three federal agency defendants asserted resolved a dispute spanning more than a decade.  See Conservation Nw. v. Sherman, No. 11-35729 (9th Cir. 2013) (pdf).  In doing so, the Ninth Circuit held that the district court abused its discretion when it entered the consent decree because it bypassed statutorily mandated public-participation procedures.

The Northwest Forest Plan applies to approximately 24.5 million acres of federal land spanning from San Francisco to the Canadian border. ….”
Read entire article at http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ninth-circuit-invalidates-consent-decree-85062/

Environment: Can forest health be legislated?

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Summit County Voice 4/18/2013
Excerpt:      “SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal land managers could get wider authority for more backcountry logging under a new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by three western senators: Mark Udall (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Max Baucus (D-MT).

The National Forest Insect and Disease Treatment Act is being pitched as a way to   help Forest Service treat insect and disease epidemics and promote overall forest health. As drafted, it directs the agency to treat threatened watersheds while prioritizing preservation of old-growth and large trees when possible.   …”
Read entire article at http://summitcountyvoice.com/2013/04/18/environment-can-forest-health-be-legislated/

Lawmakers like plan to revamp O&C lands

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Medford Mail Tribune 4/12/2013
Excerpt:     “A trio of Oregon congressmen expressed optimism over a plan to revamp management of the O&C lands in Western Oregon following a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Thursday morning.

“This hearing signals that this is a serious plan that is being taken seriously by the U.S. House of Representatives,” according to a statement released by U.S. Reps. Greg Walden, R-Hood River; Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield; and Kurt Schrader, D-Canby. …”
Read entire article at  http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130412/NEWS/304120337/-1/NEWS07

Timber counties plan to get House hearing

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Medford Mail Tribune 4/10/2013
Excerpt:      “The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Thursday morning on a proposal by a bipartisan trio of Oregon congressmen to revamp management of the O&C lands in Western Oregon.

Citing the dire economic straits of the timber-dependent counties, the session was requested by U.S. representatives Greg Walden, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader. The three are the co-authors of the O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act.  …”
read entire article at http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130410/NEWS/304100329/-1/NEWS02

USFWS to consider endangered species listing for woodpeckers that rely on post-fire habitat

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Summit County Voice 4/9/2013
Excerpt:        “SUMMIT COUNTY — U.S. Forest Service programs touted as forest health work be the the primary threats to two populations of black-backed woodpeckers.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week said it will consider those threats to the rare birds in California, Oregon and the Black Hills of South Dakota as it makes a review to determine whether to protect the birds under the Endangered Species Act.

Some of the primary threats to the populations that were included in the petition include post-disturbance salvage logging, active fire suppression that limits the acreage and severity of fires each year, and forest thinning programs.  ….”
See entire article and link to proposed listing at http://summitcountyvoice.com/2013/04/09/usfws-to-consider-endangered-species-listing-for-woodpeckers-that-rely-on-post-fire-habitat/

Judge tells feds to study owls before selling timber

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Capital Press 4/5/2013
Excerpt:      “The U.S. Forest Service must study competition between threatened spotted owls and barred owls before proceeding with a timber project in an Oregon national forest.
A federal judge has blocked logging on more than 2,000 acres in the Willamette National Forest, including about 450 acres of spotted owl habitat that would have been removed or downgraded.   Two environmental groups — Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild — filed a legal complaint against the “Goose Project” last year.   …”
Read entire article at http://www.capitalpress.com/content/mp-owl-logging-ruling-040513

Wallowa-Whitman road closures still on hold one year later

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Oregonian 3/26/2013
Excerpt:      “LA GRANDE — The U.S. Forest Service was on the verge of banning vehicles from 4,000 miles of road in Oregon’s largest national forest last April when fierce opposition from locals ground the plan to a halt.

A year later, there’s been little progress replacing the controversial “Travel Management Plan” for Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which took six years to prepare. Jodi Kramer, a spokeswoman, said federal foresters want to head back to the drawing board but have set no timeline.    …..”
Read entire article at http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/03/wallowa-whitman_road_closures.html

Firing away over forests

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Medford Mail Tribune Editorial 3/22/2013
Excerpt:     “A timber sale has ignited rhetoric on both sides; its not the end of the world.   Environmental groups say the proposed Bybee timber sale on the edge of Crater Lake National Park is a return to the bad old days of rapacious logging. We’re not convinced of that, but it’s clear the proposal has prompted a return to the bad old days of overheated rhetoric — on both sides. ….”
Read entire editorial (free registration required) at http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130322/OPINION/303220312/-1/OPINION02

Q&A: What The Supreme Court Logging Roads Ruling Means

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Oregon Public Broadcasting 3/20/2013
Excerpt:       “The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday decided in favor of the timber industry in a case that challenged the regulation of muddy water that flows off logging roads. The case was originally filed in Oregon by an environmental group. It argued roads in state forests were violating the Clean Water Act.

Here’s a Q & A to sort out the case and what it means:    ….”
Read entire story at http://earthfix.opb.org/water/article/qa-questions-and-answers-on-the-supreme-court-logg/

Senate committee agrees extending county timber payments is needed; finding funds is a problem

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Excerpt:       “WASHINGTON – As in virtually every previous episode when the topic was county timber payments, the emphasis – and the pleas – directed at senators during a hearing Tuesday were the same as before.

The federal dollars are critical lifeline for essential services ranging from road repairs to schools to complicated rescues of tourists from unforgiving places like the Columbia Gorge and Mount St. Helen’s, witnesses told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.   ….”
Read entire article at  http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/03/post_126.html