Oregon Caves bill moves forward, O&C bill blocked

Statesman Journal
By Zach Urness
December 3, 2014

Legislation to expand the Oregon Caves National Monument appears headed for approval while a bill to overhaul management of Oregon's O&C lands was blocked from the largest public lands package to come out of Congress since 2009.

Negotiations between Senate and House leaders Tuesday night resulted in a slew of public lands and energy bills being attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to pass the lame-duck Congress.

If passed, the Oregon Caves would expand by 4,070 acres, and the River Styx – the underground river running through the marble caves 20 miles east of Cave Junction – would become the nation's first subterranean stream protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Legislation allowing commercial fishermen to refinance federal loans and a 20,000-acre addition to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington also made the cut.

But perhaps the biggest story for Oregon was what wasn't included.

Bills to overhaul management of more than 2 million acres of Oregon and California Railroad forestland, a longstanding issue, were not part of the package. Although versions of the bill authored in the Senate and House differed, both would have dramatically increased logging on some O&C lands while setting aside major swaths of land for conservation.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden blamed the House Republican leadership for blocking his version of the bill.

"... House Republican leaders stepped in to block critical Oregon priorities that have received bipartisan support, including the O&C forestry bill and Klamath River Basin restoration agreement," Wyden said in a statement. "It is my plan to keep pulling out all the stops to move these important bills forward as soon as possible."

Even without the O&C bill, lawmakers in Oregon's congressional delegation celebrated what did make the cut.

The expansion of the Oregon Caves would increase the size of the national monument by nine times. It would transfer 4,070 acres surrounding the monument from the U.S. Forest Service to National Park Service, presumably to create a more cohesive system of the trails that wind from the caves up Mount Elijah and down to Bigelow Lakes, home to a diversity of rare plants and flowers.

"The Oregon Caves National Monument is a special place that pumps millions of dollars into the local economy," said Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, who helped negotiate the deal. "This expansion will ensure we protect this incredible caves system, from the rustic and charming 1930s Chateau, to the miles of trails with unforgettable views of the Siskiyou Mountains."
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Bigelow Lake would become part of the Oregon Caves National Monument under a bill passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday. The bill expands the national monument by over 4,000 acres. (Photo: Zach Urness / Photo courtesy of the Daily Courier )

DeFazio also was able to add House Resolution 2646, known as the REFI Act, into the National Defense Authorization Act.

The REFI (refinancing) Act would allow West Coast commercial anglers to refinance the terms on what's left of a $36 million loan authorized by Congress in 2000.

The loan was used to buy out fishing boats and permits when the fleet was downsized in the wake of federal declaration of fishery disaster because of overfishing and low fish numbers.

The remaining commercial anglers were to pay off the loan for the buyouts over a 30-year period at 6.97 percent interest.

Under the REFI Act, the repayment rate could not be greater than 3 percent of the ex-vessel value of all fish landed (it had been 5 percent in the original terms), and the length of the loan would be extended to 45 years.

"The West Coast buyback loan has been an albatross around fishermen's necks," DeFazio said. "Fishermen have been charged an excessively high interest rate and the tab skyrocketed after their repayment plan was delayed through no fault of their own. The passage of this bill will allow the fishermen to refinance, save money, and keep the fishery competitive."