Trump administration asks court to dismiss logging lawsuit

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – The Trump administration wants a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of Oregon counties challenging the expansion of the Cascades-Siskiyou National Monument.

The Herald and News reported Tuesday that the Association of O&C Counties sued last year because monument expansion included more than 40,000 acres that were previously available for timber harvest.

The Trump administration says the president’s authority supersedes timber laws that would allow harvesting to continue.

The 17 Oregon counties depend on timber revenue provided by the O&C Lands Act of 1937, which established minimum harvesting and revenue sharing for 2.5 million acres of Oregon timberland.

When President Barack Obama expanded the Cascades-Siskiyou National Monument in 2017, the expansion included the acreage considered part of the O&C Lands Act.

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Information from: Herald and News, http://www.heraldandnews.com