Bill Text: OR SJM10 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced

Oregon Senate Joint Memorial 10 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Urging Congress to transfer management of Oregon and California Railroad grant lands.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 34-10)

Status: (Failed) 2013-07-08 - In committee upon adjournment. [SJM10 Detail]

Download: Oregon-2013-SJM10-Introduced.html



     77th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2013 Regular Session

NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
 { +  braces and plus signs + } .

 LC 3785

                    Senate Joint Memorial 10

Sponsored by Senator BAERTSCHIGER JR; Senators BEYER, BOQUIST,
  CLOSE, COURTNEY, FERRIOLI, GEORGE, GIROD, HANSELL, JOHNSON,
  KNOPP, KRUSE, OLSEN, ROBLAN, STARR, STEINER HAYWARD, THOMSEN,
  WHITSETT, WINTERS, Representatives BENTZ, CAMERON, CONGER,
  ESQUIVEL, FREEMAN, GILLIAM, GOMBERG, HANNA, HICKS, HUFFMAN,
  JOHNSON, KENNEMER, KOMP, KOTEK, KRIEGER, MCKEOWN, MCLANE,
  OLSON, PARRISH, RICHARDSON, SPRENGER, THOMPSON, WHISNANT,
  WHITSETT, WITT

                             SUMMARY

The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.

  Urges Congress to transfer management of Oregon and California
Railroad grant lands to newly established board of trustees
consisting of representatives from local government,
environmental organizations and timber industry.

                         JOINT MEMORIAL
To the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United
  States of America, in Congress assembled:
  We, your memorialists, the Seventy-seventh Legislative Assembly
of the State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled,
respectfully represent as follows:
  Whereas the revested Oregon and California Railroad grant
lands, which are managed predominantly by the Bureau of Land
Management, were once privately owned but were returned to
federal ownership in 1916 and now constitute approximately 2.7
million acres of federal lands that are intended to be used for
the public benefit; and
  Whereas the Oregon and California Revested Lands Sustained
Yield Management Act of 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181f) set aside land to
benefit the public through revenues from timber production and
community stabilization; and
  Whereas Congress, through its decision to secure forestlands in
federal rather than private ownership, deprived 18 Oregon
counties of the opportunity for economic development and of
property tax revenues for use in providing essential public
services; and
  Whereas forests on the grant lands are capable of producing 1.2
billion board feet per year, but only a small fraction of that is
being harvested; and
  Whereas Oregon counties containing the grant lands have
continued to see the sale of federal timber, a primary source of
their revenues, sharply curtailed, in turn decreasing the
revenues available for public schools, road maintenance, public
safety and other public programs and services; and
  Whereas because of the loss of federal timber sales revenue,
the counties have suffered a perilous loss of jobs and
infrastructure due to sawmill and peeler mill closures and the
disappearance of other forest-based industries, and have been
forced to lay off law enforcement officers and teachers, defer
road maintenance and close county correctional facilities; now,
therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of
  Oregon:
  That Oregon counties with Oregon and California Railroad grant
lands should be permitted to derive sustainable sources of
revenue from the revested grant lands; and be it further
  Resolved, That the Congress of the United States of America is
respectfully urged to designate the approximately 2.7 million
acres of Oregon and California Railroad grant lands as O&C Trust
Lands, maintaining federal ownership but transferring management
of the grant lands to a newly established O&C Trust Board of
Trustees, consisting of nine members appointed by the Governor;
and be it further
  Resolved, That the Governor would appoint to the board three
representatives from government entities, three representatives
from environmental organizations and three members from the
timber industry; and be it further
  Resolved, That the board would manage approximately 1.1 million
acres of the O&C Trust Lands in a reserve for natural succession
and recreation; and be it further
  Resolved, That the board would manage approximately 1.6 million
acres of the O&C Trust Lands for sustainable forest commodity
production at a quantity of not less than 500 million board feet
per year as established in the Oregon and California Revested
Lands Sustained Yield Management Act of 1937; and be it further
  Resolved, That the board would be authorized to negotiate land
exchanges with neighboring land owners in order to create
contiguous blocks of land under the management of the board; and
be it further
  Resolved, That a copy of this memorial with original signatures
shall be sent to each member of the Oregon Congressional
Delegation and a copy of this memorial shall be sent to each
member of Congress.
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