Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Dan Thackaberry, the Democratic candidate for the state representative in House District 17, told a small group of area residents Wednesday morning, Sept. 3, that forest management in the state should “follow the model of private industry.”
Thackaberry, who is facing incumbent Republican Sherrie Sprenger in the Nov. 4 election, spent an hour at the Sweet Home Community Center talking to supporters about his positions about senior citizen health concerns, forestry and energy production, water resource management, field burning and education.
Echoing a strengthening position being taken up by many state Democrats, Thackaberry said he believes Oregon should develop a market for the undergrowth that is creating danger of “catastrophic” fires in its forests. He said that timber that is not good enough quality for construction could be used for cellulose and ethanol.
“In most of thinning, the wood has very low value and it’s very expensive to harvest because of high fuel costs,”he said. “That’s why (developing markets based on) cellulose and ethanol are important.”
He said he believes that ethanol should be made from wood or algae rather than corn because of the need to use corn for food.
Maryann Ewing, of Sodaville, asked Thackaberry why environmentalists are so opposed to thinning of forests.
“There are a lot of politics involved,” he said. “We probably need to get the politics out of forest management and follow the private model.”
Responding to concerns about field burning, Thackaberry, who farms in the Lacomb area, said that he expects the practice to die out due to market forces.
“Field burning is not economical any more,” he said.
Thackaberry also took on a variety of other issues during his visit, including:
– Water. Thackaberry said that more water storage is needed in the state.
“We have an abundance of water in Oregon, but we have a shortage of water storage,” he said, adding that he advocates off-channel storage as dams across streams are less accepted than they were in the past.
“The idea is to store some of (the water),” he said.
– Transportation. He noted that one in five jobs in the 17th district is “very dependent on transportation” and that too much of the state gas taxes go to “large metropolitan districts,” leaving Linn County out in the cold.
– Education. Some at the meeting complained about the salaries of administrators, particularly in Lebanon, where, according to resident Evan Degenfelder, students in some classrooms sit on radiators because there are not enough desks, nor are there enough textbooks. Meanwhile, Degenfelder said, “administrators pull down huge salaries. Now that is shameful.”
Thackaberry said he is committed to giving students more resources, “rather than giving them to administrators.
“We can’t have this top-heavy system anymore,”he said.
– Senior issues. Thackaberry said he strongly supports Oregon Project Independence, which provides care for seniors so they can stay in their own homes rather than be moved to care facilities.
“It’s a great program but it always struggles for funding,” he said. “When a dollar is spent to keep a senior at home versus a dollar spent to keep a senior in a facility, I think that’s a good deal.”
He said he also wants to see the state progress toward pooling more of drug costs and lowering insurance costs so more can afford coverage.
“I think it’s very important that the state does what it can,” he said.