[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5711-S5712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
  S. 1301. A bill to provide for the restoration of forest landscapes, 
protection of old growth forests, and management of national forests in 
the eastside forests of the State of Oregon; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I would like to reintroduce an 
important piece of forest legislation for my home State of Oregon.
  This is legislation that I introduced in the last two Congresses. The 
legislation gained the support of the administration through a number 
of improvements, but unfortunately it failed to get passed. I have 
since made a few more updates and improvements as I continue talking to 
stakeholders who worked with me on this legislation. I am introducing 
the bill today to reinvigorate the discussion and get stakeholders to 
finalize any outstanding issues so we can finally get this bill done 
this Congress. I am sending the message that restoring these forests in 
Oregon is an urgent priority that needs to get done an I am going to 
keep at it until this issue gets addressed
  I am pleased that my colleague from Oregon, Senator Merkley has again 
joined me today in introducing this bill. He also recognizes the urgent 
needs to restore Oregon's forests and help forest dependent communities 
and I am glad he is part of this fight.
  Oregon's historic war over its forests restyled in gridlock that led 
to millions of acres of Oregon's Federal forest landscape containing 
choked, overstocked stands that are at great risk of uncharacteristic 
catastrophic fires, insect infestations and disease. The outcome of the 
decades of conflict is very evident in Eastern Oregon's forests.
  That is why I introduced legislation in the last two Congresses to 
tackle the challenges facing Oregon's Eastside forests and why I 
reintroduce this legislation again today.
  The legislation I first introduced in 2009 reflected an agreement 
reached by leaders on both sides of these difficult issues Intense 
negotiations resulted in that legislation with the goal of bringing 
jobs and a healthier tomorrow to the 8.3 million acres on the 6 Federal 
forests in eastern and central Oregon. That agreement has already 
resulted in progress being made on forestry issues in Eastern Oregon. 
Already there is more collaboration, less gridlock, more timber 
harvests and forests gradually beginning to get restored.
  But we can't stop there. Since the last Congress, discussions and 
negotiations with interested stakeholders have continued. Today's bill 
reflects some of those discussions as well as some of the real progress 
seen on the ground in Eastern Oregon, but it also preserves the core 
elements of the agreement that I crafted with the stakeholders to this 
agreement--a push to increase the timber produced from our national 
forests, landscape scale restoration efforts and protections for 
watersheds and old growth.
  Eastern Oregon today is down to only a small handful of surviving 
timber mills. Yet those mills are urgently needed to process saw logs 
and other merchantable material from forest restoration projects. 
Without them, there will be no restoration of Oregon's Eastside 
forests. But without far greater certainty of merchantable timber 
supply, more mills will close.
  That's why we not only need to introduce legislation today, we need 
to pass it this Congress. Because time is not on our side and at risk 
forests and mills won't wait forever for the perfect consensus.
  Fortunately leaders on both sides of this issue recognize that 
Oregon's forests will pay the price if more mills close. That 
recognition is what brought us to the landmark agreement in the first 
place.

[[Page S5712]]

  I expect continued discussions as the Senate process advances over 
the best way to craft the bill to reflect current reality on the ground 
but I want to build on the progress that has been made to this point.
  I also want to point out that none of our efforts will succeed unless 
Oregon Federal forests are also adequately funded to properly manage 
and restore these valuable Federal assets. I will fight, along with 
Senator Merkley and other stakeholders, for the funding to put our 
people back to work and restore the health of our forests.
  I thank the stakeholders that have continued to spend time and energy 
engaged in discussions with me on the details of this legislation. I 
know there is further work ahead, and I look forward to working with 
them to get the legislation ready for passage.
  I want to also express my gratitude to Governor Kitzhaber, who also 
understands the importance of advancing efforts to treat and restore 
Oregon's forests. He went to bat to putting state funding behind these 
efforts so I want to ensure that the Federal Government is also 
honoring its commitment to manage these Federal treasures and be a good 
neighbor to state and private lands. I appreciate his efforts and look 
forward to continuing to work with him.
  I am pleased to reintroduce this legislation today, and I intend to 
keep working with all the folks in my State who are willing to talk in 
good faith about restoring our Eastside forests. I want to continue to 
get input from stakeholders on any further revisions to the bill and 
get a final product that will pass this Congress.
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