Here’s proof that belonging to a commerce group doesn’t make you a good business person. Even supporters of Oregon Resources find serious flaws in the ORC draft lease, from vague and confusing language, to contradictory clauses, to terms that unfairly favor the miners over the public even defining labor disputes as ‘acts of god’ or ‘unforeseen’ circumstances.

We are talking about public resources here, the public treasure. Instead of encouraging the county to work out the best deal possible local business groups are asking the commissioners to make a deal they wouldn’t make for their companies. (Not if they were paying attention, anyway). Commissioner Bob Main says the lease, as written, “…will take food out of the mouths of Coos County citizens”.

An email sent from the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce asks that ‘friends of business’ be at a county commission meeting Monday to decide on a mineral lease with ORC before proven liar and ousted commissioner, Kevin Stufflebean is replaced by Andy Jackson.

The email wrongly assumes anyone not in favor of this lease is not a friend of business and this ‘its them or us’ tone is encouraged by incompetently run ‘advocacy’ organizations like SCDC (South Coast Development Council). Objecting to bad fiscal policy and bad contractual agreements does not make anyone anti business. On the contrary, it makes them good business people and proper stewards of the local economy… which is more than we can say for the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, or FONSI, or SCDC.

Monday December 27th, 3 pm in the Commissioners Courtroom in Coquille, the Coos County Commissioners will hold a work session on the ORC lease of Kimberley-Clark property, or actually their mineral rights, and the protection of the county land they lie under. This lease has had considerable time and effort put into its development, as it may serve as a template for the leasing of County mineral rights on County land.

We urge all friends of business in Coos County to come and support this new opportunity for both employment and revenue to both the County and Community. It is unclear at this point whether any public testimony will be taken.

The important thing is please just show up to register your support for moving Coos County ahead.

SEE YOU THERE!

Timm Slater
Executive Director
Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
541-266-0868 FAX 541-267-6704
Success is our Agenda!

It may come as a surprise to Timm Slater but many businesses operate in Coos County that are not members of the chamber. Anyone who walks into an establishment and plunks down a couple of bucks for a coffee is a friend of business and to characterize people otherwise is wrong and impolitic. Most businesses in Coos County, even those wildly in favor of signing any deal with ORC operate their own establishments more prudently than they recommend the county act now.

Finally, if anyone doubts that hastily cut deals regarding public resources can go bad read this story about Dexter, Oregon.

When loggers started clearcutting Parvin Butte 20 miles outside Eugene, leaving behind smoking burn piles, no one in the small town of Dexter was that surprised. Timber pays the bills in a lot of rural areas. But then residents discovered that Lost Creek Rock Products intended to dynamite and strip mine the butte as well, to extract more than 60 million tons of aggregate — crushed stone, sand and gravel.

There are two permits to exploit Parvin Butte’s resources. One is for logging and the other is for mining…
A site review would allow for a public comment period. Stewart says if Lost Creek Products began operating the quarry without the site review, the landowners would be ordered to cease and desist and could possibly face fines. But he points out that the two permits make it very difficult to see what is really going on — if there is road building on the site, is it for the mine or the logging?

John Tyler says, “I can’t figure out how they can get away with this.”