skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

BLM’s Controversial “WOPR” – What Happens Next?

play audio
Play

Monday, January 14, 2008   

Salem, OR – The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has been swamped with more than 20,000 public comments about its Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR) that would increase logging and remove some stream and wildlife habitat protections in Western Oregon forests. Although the public comment period has ended for now, the plan is far from being finalized.

After the BLM updates the controversial plan, the public will have one more chance to comment, in September. Before that, however, the governor's staff will review it to make sure the plan meshes with current state policies and laws.
Joe Kirkvliet, resource economist for The Wilderness Society, sees at least one potential problem area: Increased logging doesn't fit the state's greenhouse gas reduction mandate.

"This plan will actually put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, to the tune of over 8 million tons of carbon. At today's prices, this is over $80 million worth of carbon that would be removed from Oregon's forests and put into the atmosphere."

In the meantime, Kirkvliet notes, with every step in the WOPR approval process, more time passes. He says the homebuilding slump already has changed the economics upon which the plan was based.

"They took as the price of stumpage (the price they're going to receive for the timber they sell) the 2005 levels. That means their projections of the revenue counties will get are extremely optimistic, and highly unrealistic."

Kirkvliet believes Oregon's rural areas would do better to keep their forests intact and focus on diversifying their economies, attracting retirees and business owners who appreciate the great outdoors. The WOPR timeline can be viewed online, at www.blm.gov.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's annual budget report, the state receives more than $1.10 billion in federal funding outside of funds from the child nutrition and COVID relief programs. (Michael Ireland/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …


Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…


Ohio is among 13 jurisdictions requiring Saturday and Sunday hours for early voting. (PX Media/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021