Oregon's biggest newspaper got it right: The state's timber counties can't prosper until Uncle Sam reopens economic opportunity on federal forests.
We at The World have been saying that for a long time. But hearing it from The Oregonian's big-city soapbox is refreshing.
Last week, legislators held a public hearing to talk about dealing with the loss of federal timber payments. Though loss of federal revenue has long been a problem for Oregon's rural counties, this year it's a horror show. Basic local services are at risk, and the counties themselves are in danger of bankruptcy.
The hearing didn't produce any new solutions, according to Tuesday's editorial in The Oregonian. That's because there aren't any.
We've heard talk lately about draining county road funds and even merging counties to save costs. Those ideas are stopgaps at best. Another idea is to raise local property taxes. But people who suggest that haven't witnessed the poverty afflicting rural Oregon.
The problem isn't just a shortage of county revenue. Because the government owns more than half the land in rural counties, curtailed access to federal timber cripples local economies. Restoring jobs is the surest way to help private citizens and public agencies alike.
As The Oregonian noted, 'The hard truth is that without some action on federal lands, there are no state or local responses able to save Oregon's failing timber counties."
As we've mentioned previously, Oregon Reps. Peter DeFazio, Greg Walden and Kurt Schrader, are working on a plan to revive commercial logging on federal forests of Southwest Oregon. Putting people to work in the woods and in sawmills would rescue families, while generating revenue to save county governments.
As The Oregonian noted, passing such a bill is a political long shot. But it's the best hope for rural Oregon.