Mt. Hoodgate

We interrupt Special Week for this Special Report.

Last Friday we noted a full-color editorial in the Ogre-onian that called for rapid passage of the Mt. Hood Wilderness Bill. We also informed readers that the secret deal in the Bill was a sweetheart bailout package for a multi-million dollar company and its tycoon owner.

Friday’s editorial was clear: the Ogre-onian did not care how many acres are included in the Act, or where they are, or how the forests on those acres might be harmed by designation. The Big Issue for the local dead tree media, their Big Demand, was that the American taxpayers pony up the cash and land to buyout/tradeout a private company.

Today the Ogre-onian was forced to report that the US Government Accountability Office investigated the deal, and the investigators have serious problems with the land appraisals. It seems the appraised land values on the acres the company wishes to convey to the government are hugely overstated.

This is an understatement. The parcel of land that the private company wants to exchange is roughly 770 acres of fresh clearcuts. It is almost worthless. The land used to belong to Hood River County, up until a few years ago, when the private company swapped their Dog River 850 acres for HRC’s 770 acres. The HRC Forestry Department had previously clearcut 80 to 90 percent of the 770 acres over the last 20 or so years.

The Dog River parcel the company traded to the county was a multicohort stand of anthropogenic fire origin. A main Indian road went up Dog River right through the 850 acres. Spotted owls frequented the old growth forest there. Now this parcel belongs to HRC and is being systematically clearcut, just like their old 770 acre parcel.

At the time of the land swap, the company was led to believe they could put a destination resort on the clearcut land, a landuse the county had denied them on the Dog River property. Then the old switcheroo was pulled by HRC, and the company was left holding a bag of clearcut land they couldn’t use.

Business is business. Everybody went into the deal open-eyed. If both parties’ vision was clouded by greed, it is their own fault. If there were contract faults or mis-performances, then sue. Don’t ask the American taxpayers to bail out millionaires!

However, Oregon’s Congressional Delegation wants exactly that, to have American taxpayers bail out the company. Their plan is to swap 120 USFS acres in Government Camp for the 770 acres in HRC. The problem is, the 770 acres is nearly worthless, and the Government Camp acreage is worth millions.

Furthermore, the USFS has no desire for the clearcuts. They already have enough of that. The 770 acres does not block them up, but spreads Federal ownership out into private lands in an intrusive smear. This is in direct opposition to their Congressionally mandated land trade/acquisition policies.

The 770 acres has no special resource values. If it did at one time, the people of HRC took care of that by clearcutting it. If the 770 acres still has resource values, then the clearcuts didn’t impair them, and there is no need for the government to acquire the clearcuts to “protect” anything special.

The whole deal is out of the norm for USFS land swaps, to be kind. To be frank, the whole deal is a scam to enrich the rich at taxpayers’ expense. The actual parcels are just symbolic fronts for vast sums to be drained from the Federal Treasury.

The Ogre-onian was all for this deal last Friday. Today they tuck their tails between their legs and grovel in shame.

Or do they? Shame does not come easy to the dead tree media. In fact, it is hard to remember shame ever visiting the Ogre-onian. They are still for the deal, regardless of what those stupid auditors at US Government Accountability Office have to say.

The Pipple demand a big bailout for millionaires, according to the Ogre-onian. Are you listening Congress? Don’t forget who put you there. It’s payback time, and the millionaires are getting impatient.