To: The Oregon State House, The Oregon State Senate, and Governor Kate Brown
Return Industry to Oregon
Begin taking steps to return the lumber industry to its place of economic importance in Oregon.
Why is this important?
I live in a once vibrant community that was dependent on the lumber industry. When it became nearly impossible for lumber mills to operate in the state of Oregon, some companies were cutting third or fourth growth wood, they were not the environmental devastators some make them out to be, yet these responsible job providers have been harmed by well meaning but overly broad policies that have shriveled the lumber industry in Oregon.
Rather than penalizing the entire industry for the irresponsibility of a few, we should be encouraging those groups who handled things responsibly to return to work on Oregon's most largest natural, and more importantly, renewable resource. In these hard economic times, we cannot afford to let such a vast, valuable material sit idle while we import wood from elsewhere.
Steps be taken to restart the timber industry, and in a responsible fashion. These steps must include common sense rules regarding replanting, and encourage local hiring by providing short-term (one calender year or less) tax breaks for lumber companies hiring Oregon residents.
Rather than penalizing the entire industry for the irresponsibility of a few, we should be encouraging those groups who handled things responsibly to return to work on Oregon's most largest natural, and more importantly, renewable resource. In these hard economic times, we cannot afford to let such a vast, valuable material sit idle while we import wood from elsewhere.
Steps be taken to restart the timber industry, and in a responsible fashion. These steps must include common sense rules regarding replanting, and encourage local hiring by providing short-term (one calender year or less) tax breaks for lumber companies hiring Oregon residents.