Wyden Tiptoes Past the Landmines Into Logging Issue

I'm not sure if this press release from Ron Wyden has any substance or is just fluff, he has announced his plan for a "framework" to design future legislation, but no legislation at this time.  It is full of good platitudes and congratulations from lots of people, but where's the beef?

The goal of this announcement is to get the greatest amount of local input while fleshing out the legislation.

Sounds great, but tickets on the Titanic were a hot item once upon a time too.  Lots of people from Kitzhaber to Merkley to Joe Gonyea III, Partner, Timber Products Company bubbled about how great this was, but the heavy lifting is still on the horizon.

The Oregon and California Railroad Reinvestment Lands, known as O&C Lands, are 2.4 million acres of federal land spread across 18 Oregon counties and largely managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
“Oregon’s O&C lands are truly unique among federal land holdings and deserve separate treatment within the confines of the O&C Act,” Wyden said. “At the same time, forest managers have learned a great deal about conservation, clean air and water and habitat preservation since the Act was adopted and it must be updated to reflect that progress.  This update must also give new life to the original guarantee of jobs and timber production in the Act.”
Wyden is asking for specific input on which O&C lands will be designated for sustainable harvest and which will be set aside for permanent conservation. He plans to refine that map over the summer with input from representatives of local communities, federal, state and local forestry experts, tribal and conservation leaders. Senator Wyden is also seeking input on the rules for carrying out both sustainable harvest and preservation over the long term.

 We got a long way to go before this one is in the bag, this issue has been gridlocked for years.