Sustained Yield Forestry = Sustainable Environments + Sustainable Communities
The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) expressed support for several regulatory changes proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by those agencies. The agencies released information about the proposed changes today in a press release as well as on a public…
The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) today recognized Congressman Greg Walden for his role in securing a funding offset for the extension under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRS). The funding is included in the recent budget agreement reached by U.S. House and U.S. Senate leaders this week. AOCC also thanked U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and…
The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) elected leaders and Board members for 2018 at its annual meeting in Eugene on December 1. AOCC represents and advocates for western Oregon counties that host 2.1 million acres of O&C timberlands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). AOCC members re-elected Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman as AOCC President,…
The Association of O&C Counties today announced a breakthrough in discussions with the Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding $1.39 million in timber payments withheld by the federal government earlier this year. “We are happy to report the 18 O&C Counties will be receiving those withheld payments very…
The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) today applauded bipartisan passage of the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (H.R. 2639) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation gives the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) new policy and legal tools to increase the pace and scale of active forest management on federal lands. “Passage…
BROOKINGS, ORE– County Commissioners representing the Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) attended a meeting on July 16 with Congressman Greg Walden and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke during his visit to southern Oregon. “Board members shared their situations relative to the loss of O&C timber revenue and the resulting impacts on their ability to keep basic services at acceptable levels,”…
BROOKINGS, ORE– In Washington, D.C. today Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman urged Congress to pass reforms to improve the health of America’s federally-owned forests and create much-needed jobs in rural, forested communities. Freeman serves as President of the Association of O&C Counties, representing 17 western Oregon counties hosting 2.1 million acres of O&C timberlands administered by…
Press Release- May 3, 2017 Contact: Rocky McVay, 541.412.1624 BROOKINGS, ORE– The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) presented testimony to a congressional panel on the expansion of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM). The House Natural Resources Committee’s Federal Lands Subcommittee held a hearing on May 2 to discuss national monuments designated without significant local input…
Press Release- March 6, 2017 Contact: Rocky McVay, 541.412.1624 BROOKINGS, ORE– The Association of O&C Counties has asked Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Oregon’s congressional delegation to ensure correction of a costly mistake made by the BLM in the calculation of O&C timber receipts that were distributed to counties earlier this year. The correction is necessary…
Press Release- February 14, 2017 Contact: Rocky McVay, 541.412.1624 BROOKINGS, ORE.–The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) yesterday filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claiming the Obama Administration’s inclusion of Oregon & California (“O&C”) lands within the newly-expanded Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument violates the O&C Act, and exceeds the scope of…