Senator Weber and Representative Javadi are peddling a false narrative about a mill closure in Banks, on behalf of the timber industry. The facts: Hampton Lumber, headquartered in Portland, made a business decision to invest $150 million into expanding its mill in Willamina thanks to state and local tax breaks. At the same time, it chose to close an ageing Banks mill (40 miles from Willamina) which is in need of substantial upgrades. This a clear case of corporate restructuring and consolidation made by Hampton executives in Portland, not the failure of the state Habitat Conservation Plan. But Hampton and Weber and Javadi working on behalf of an industry that paid for their elections blamed the State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan …
Read the full article at: https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/opinion/letter-banks-mill-closure-is-about-corporate-restructuring-not-habitat-plan/article_6c2fd552-bf28-11ee-bbbd-9b29f888df9c.html