Public comment: What will O&C counties tell the BLM?

Presenter: A public comment asks Lane County commissioners for transparency at the Association of O&C Counties. March 31, Dale Tronrud:

Dale Tronrud: Hello, my name is Dale Tronrud and I live in Springfield.

I’d like to encourage you to spend some time in introspection on the county’s goals when lobbying the BLM on their plan to massively increase logging on the O&C lands of Oregon. You are members of the Association of O&C Counties and apparently allow them to advocate for changes to the BLM Forest Plans Management Plan on your behalf.

My understanding from Eugene Springfield Lookout articles is that your representative to the association has recommended that you not publicly discuss what you would like the association’s stance to be for fear of undercutting their bargaining position, and you have agreed.

I also understand that you cannot discuss such matters in private due to open meeting laws.

When and how can the voters of Lane County be heard if we cannot learn your individual positions on the Trump administration’s order and encourage you to either modify them or stand pat?

How can you collectively, as the board, advocate for changes in the O&C Counties’ position if you cannot even discuss the matter among yourselves or have a public vote?

If none of the members of the board can state their opinion as to what stance the O&C Counties should adopt, who is making the decisions at that association?

The taxpayers of Lane County are paying the county’s membership fee in this association. Surely they must have a say in what policies it advocates.

I’ve looked over the website for the Association of O&C Counties and find no mention of this defining issue of the management of O&C timberlands. They do state that the current level of production on these BLM lands is a bit less than half of what they believe is reasonable.

The order from the Trump administration is to quadruple production. Does this mean that the association is going to fight the administration? Do you want to double again the logging rate that you were asking for last year? Most people in Lane County are unaware that any of this is going on.

The association’s plan will be a massive swing toward increased production. You should remember that the current forest plan was designed as a compromise between those Oregonians who wanted more production and those who wanted less.

What do you think the county’s finances will look like after the pendulum inevitably responds by swinging back further than where it is now? Thank you for your time.

Presenter: Commissioners are asked to publicly deliberate on their policy goals for O&C lands within Lane County.