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The state of Oregon should have nothing to do with the timber lobby
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The state of Oregon, by way of timber tax dollars, have funded a pro-timber industry group for decades, propping up a state-sanctioned lobbying arm of Big Timber. Thankfully, state lawmakers have moved to change that with Oregon House Bill 2357.
Since its creation by the Oregon Legislature in 1991, the tax-funded Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) has seen no shortage of skepticism regarding its cozy relationships with timber industry insiders. However, an August 2020 investigative report co-produced by ProPublica,
The Oregonian and OPB and written by journalists Rob Davis and Tony Schick revealed just how entrenched these relationships have become.
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At a hearing last Tuesday, a timber lobbyist set aside his prepared remarks and told lawmakers that the investigation was “full of half-truths,” “absolutely inaccurate” and “completely bogus.”
The lobbyist, Jim James, representing the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, told lawmakers we “took a segment of an email, interpreted it for [ourselves] . and came up with some conclusions that were absolutely inaccurate.”
A timber lobbyist called our investigation ‘completely bogus.’ We have the receipts to show it’s not
Updated Mar 08, 2021;
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This article was produced in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting and The Oregonian/OregonLive. You can sign up for The Oregonian/OregonLive
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With the Oregon Legislature taking up bills to overhaul or eliminate the Oregon Forest Resources Institute after a news investigation last August, lobbyists have repeatedly attacked the reporting as incorrect.
The institute is a quasi-governmental agency meant to promote forestry education. The joint investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica found that the institute had acted as a de facto lobbying arm of the timber industry, in some cases skirting legal constraints that forbid it from doing so.
A Timber Lobbyist Called Our Investigation Completely Bogus We Have the Receipts to Show It s Not msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.