74th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2007 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
 { +  braces and plus signs + } .
 
 LC 3173
 
                     House Joint Memorial 12
 
Sponsored by Representative WITT; Representatives BARKER,
  BARNHART, BERGER, BEYER, BOONE, BOQUIST, BRUUN, BUCKLEY,
  BURLEY, BUTLER, CAMERON, CANNON, CLEM, COWAN, DALLUM, C
  EDWARDS, D EDWARDS, ESQUIVEL, FLORES, GALIZIO, GARRARD, GELSER,
  GILLIAM, GILMAN, GIROD, GREENLICK, HANNA, HOLVEY, HUNT, JENSON,
  KOMP, KRIEGER, KRUMMEL, LIM, MAURER, MERKLEY, MINNIS, MORGAN,
  NATHANSON, NELSON, OLSON, READ, RICHARDSON, RILEY, ROBLAN,
  SCHAUFLER, SCOTT, SHIELDS, G SMITH, P SMITH, THATCHER,
  WHISNANT, Senators ATKINSON, AVAKIAN, BATES, BEYER, BROWN,
  DECKERT, FERRIOLI, G GEORGE, L GEORGE, GORDLY, JOHNSON, KRUSE,
  METSGER, MONNES ANDERSON, MONROE, MORRISETTE, MORSE, NELSON,
  PROZANSKI, SCHRADER, STARR, VERGER, WALKER, WESTLUND, WHITSETT
  (at the request of Bill Kluting, Carpenters Industrial Council)
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Urges Congress to allow Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management to enter into 15-year contracts for biomass removal
from federal forests.
 
                         JOINT MEMORIAL
To the President of the United States and the Senate and the
  House of Representatives of the United States of America, in
  Congress assembled:
  We, your memorialists, the Seventy-fourth Legislative Assembly
of the State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled,
respectfully represent as follows:
  Whereas the national forest system, managed by the Forest
Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, was
established in 1905 and has grown to 193 million acres of federal
lands of which more than 15 million acres are in Oregon; and
  Whereas more than 12 million acres of federal forests are in
dire need of biomass removal; and
  Whereas millions of these acres are in category 3 and 2 fire
classifications; and
  Whereas many of these same acres are overgrown and have
excessive fuel loads on the ground that may lead to catastrophic
forest fires and destruction from insects and disease; and
  Whereas our rural communities in Oregon have been devastated
for 25 years for lack of forest restoration and timber harvesting
contracts; and
  Whereas this has caused the loss of thousands of jobs in these
rural communities and destroyed the economic base for these
towns, counties and school districts; and
 
  Whereas long-term, 15-year contracts, if allowed for removal of
biomass from these federal forests, could provide fuel for
cogeneration plants producing renewable electricity and steam;
and
  Whereas these plants would create thousands of jobs in the
rural areas and would also provide small diameter logs for our
existing mills, thus saving jobs; and
  Whereas the results of these projects would reduce our
dependence on fossil fuels, especially from foreign countries,
would provide a means to return our federal forests back to a
healthy condition, reducing the danger of catastrophic fire that
increases our fire fighting costs, would improve public safety,
would improve air and water quality and wildlife habitat and
would safeguard a valuable natural resource; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of
  Oregon:
  That we, the members of the Seventy-fourth Legislative
Assembly, respectfully urge the Congress of the United States of
America to pass legislation to allow the Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management to enter into long-term, 15-year
contracts allowing the removal of biomass from federal forests in
Oregon in order to provide fuel for cogeneration plants; and be
it further
  Resolved, That a copy of this memorial be sent to the President
of the United States, to the Senate Majority Leader and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and to each member of the
Oregon Congressional Delegation.
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