June 19, 2008 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain Praises

Wyden Effort to Balance Economy, Environment

(Portland) Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain praised efforts by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to strike a balance between the need to sustain forests, as well as bolster the economy. 

"It's not news to any Oregonian that our rural communities are suffering economically and have been hit doubly hard by the current economic crisis in our country," said Chamberlain. "Any effort to put regular folks in these communities back to work in living-wage jobs is a step in the right direction." 

Wyden's proposed overhaul of federal forest practices in the State of Oregon, announced earlier today, would permanently end the logging of old growth trees and discourage clear-cutting, while placing a new emphasis on greatly expedited, large-scale forest restoration efforts to improve forest health and create many thousands of new jobs.Wyden, who chairs the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, estimates that his reforms will approximately double the timber harvest for Oregon that has been achieved annually since President Bush took office. 

"Senator Wyden deserves credit for his effort to balance the need to spur economic growth and job creation in some of Oregon's poorest counties, while advancing the equally important goal of preserving Oregon forests, which are so important the quality of life in our state," said Chamberlain.

The Oregon AFL-CIO is a federation of unions and non-union working men and women, representing more than 225,000 working families in Oregon. The Oregon AFL-CIO is dedicated to making jobs better and improving the quality of life in our communities for the working families of Oregon.