Should the federal government reduce environmental restrictions that stop logging in federal forests in Oregon?
“Our forests should be managed for sustainable yields and sustainable jobs within the context of a sustainable ecology. This is a difficult balance to achieve, and the process of achieving it is ongoing. In our partisan electoral politics, people have become so polarized it has become difficult for many activists from different parties to have a civil discussion. Our environmental politics suffers from the same problem. As a representative of the timber industry during the spotted owl litigation, I have seen this polarization firsthand. It has gotten so bad that many people cannot have a rational discussion about the environment, because of the absolutist myth that one has to either “”love”” the environment or “”hate”” it. My knowledge and experience with this dynamic qualifies me to work constructively with people representing all sides of the issue to achieve a sustainable balance. In both the short and long term, it is important that we find more ways to put Oregonians back to work
