It has been quite a day in Coos County, picking a new commissioner and discovering a local paper has stooped to lying in an editorial about a sitting commissioner in order to shill for one of its advertisers. Today, on page four, The World printed lies in an editorial entitled “Stewardship or standoff? ” while on page two they printed a 1/4 page color ORC advertisement.
To begin, the editorial accuses Main of attacking Peter DeFazio during a press conference this week, over statements the congressman made that were confirmed by The World earlier this week. “DeFazio told a Bay Area Chamber of Commerce lunch crowd that the commissioners should pursue an opportunity to lease county land to ORC for chromite mining. He said it could bring the county $1.6 million a year in royalties”.
The editorial says
Main’s response, with tacit support from new colleague Cam Parry, was to attack both DeFazio and ORC. He accused ORC of misleading DeFazio. He accused DeFazio of mistakenly saying the county had rejected a $1.6 million offer.
Main does accuse ORC of misleading the congressman but never once accuses DeFazio, Instead he explains that, “When DeFazio was touring the facility at ORC it was mentioned by ORC that the county had rejected a $1.6 million dollar revenue annually. It was quoted in the paper that he couldn’t understand why the county would reject that revenue. It is our opinion that we think the senator, er representative was somehow misled by ORC…”
Main went on to explain the sticking points in the lease agreement, terms ORC called ‘onerous’ and for which the company suspended negotiations. ORC objected to the county not allowing the use of county land as collateral for ORC loans and refused to guarantee the minimum average earning the land would earn via timber proceeds. The World not only misrepresented what Main said but ignored these valid issues entirely and accused Main and to a lesser degree Commissioner Parry of enmity toward the company and harming “the county’s reputation for welcoming industry”.
The World is not a newspaper but rather a publicity and marketing arm for Oregon Resources. This editorial is not only dishonest and irresponsible in its failure to adequately analyze the issues Main raises but unethical. This is a new low, even for The World.
Watch the press conference below
Actually, Main did accuse DeFazio at one point, just as he said that Senator Wyden had told he and Cam Parry that there was no hope whatsoever in getting SRS or replacement Timber dollars. When these rantings were checked oh lo and behold – perhaps he reacted too heatedly. You do remember that Main reported one statement and the World the other. Howevver, many folks were present at both occasions and did a little checking directly with the Congressman and the Senator. Main had to back down! One needs to be certain before getting on a bully pulpit – too easy for things to be checked!
However, Main is totally correct on ORC. They are a lying, cheating slimy outfit that unfortunately won’t have to pay their share of taxes while screwing up some perfectly good land. I’d like to know exactly how many people they have hired and if more than 2 or 3 of them are from this area or even from Oregon. for that matter. My feeling is they should go back to Australia or China of whatever place they come from. Aussie Go Home!!
Thank you, Pirate for this detail of the lease. It is unfortunate the local paper does not provide its readers with this kind of thoughtful analysis. What we learned from the editorial is that the paper cares more about the interests of its advertisers than it does about the public who own the chromite. Put another way, the paper cares more about its advertisers than it does its readers. They are shills
The “World” newspaper is wrong.
There is no guarantee of a dollar of revenue from any ORC activity on County lands. The only guaranteed income is from the physical lease of the property. The “Draft Lease” from December of 2010, the latest document released, contained, in part, the following flaws:
Paragraph 1.2) Lease allows use of the 465 acres in this lease as support for “other properties”. No mineral development required.
Paragraph 3.1) $46,557.00 value of surface rights first year and only $2.00 / $4.00 an acre ($931.14 – $1862.28) in successive years?
Paragraph 3.5(k) Allows payment of surface lease without any mineral development at all. A “covenant of diligent development” is not expressed or implied. So, they get virtually unrestricted use for a couple bucks an acre for 20 years.
Paragraph 4.1) Automatic approval of production plans as submitted if no response from County in 30 days.
Paragraph 4.4) ORC is not required to “mine, develop or produce leased minerals” on the property during the term of the lease
Paragraph 9) ORC can unconditionally terminate this lease, or any portion, on 60 days written notice. The County can’t terminate the lease without meeting all the conditions specified.
Paragraph 10.6) The County relieves the “Security Trustee” of any responsibility to cure any default by ORC?
Paragraph 11.3) Consent “unreasonably withheld or delayed” for sub-leases. Assumes the consent of any future lease assignment.
Some of these issues may have been resolved in later revisions.
However, if the “covenant of diligent development” (3.5(k)) remains then ORC is relieved of ANY responsibility to develop this land or to produce ANY revenue for the entire term of the lease. Thus, there is no promise of any revenue for Coos County at all.
These development “covenants” are commonly used when developing land controlled by hysterical private citizens that expect the mine to operate and produce income immediately after the lease is signed. To restrain Coos County Commissioners in the same manner is an insult.
There are no development goals, timetables, penalties for non-performance, production bonds or any other assurance of revenue to the County. This is basically unrestricted use of County timber lands in any manner convenient to ORC.
This document “trusts” ORC to develop the land in a workmanlike manner and produce royalties for the County but “REQUIRES” nothing. I would expect ORC to be professional enough that they can propose and agree to goals, timetables and penalties for timely development.
If ORC wants unrestricted use of our timber revenue lands they should pay the County’s loss, and not expect this County to join with them in their business undertaking.
Would be nice to have Don Meredith around to sing – The honeymoon’s over. Sorry Mr. Parry. Please, please – understand that Lee stock has lost almost 75% of its value during the past 12 months. It is rapidly approaching the 30 cents where we bought it two years ago. Local paper circulation sucks. Advertising sucks. Local daily paper editors, affectionately known to the local common folk as Frick and Frack, must do whatever to sell papers. Facts have never caused a problem for this paper in recent years. Please remember that the editorial board of three, stated authors of this editorial, include the cusine editor and the fellow who has written that his readers who he disagrees with are “idiots”. His last employer felt the sting of readers cancelling their subscriptions. Does you have a blinking light on your forehead that reads idiot? Me doesn’t. Use the local paper for the purpose intended – a garbage can liner, a bird cage liner, to cut into strips when you run out of corn cobs in the out house – and you will be happy.