PORT ANGELES — The board of directors of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce has voted to support a resolution that said “the chamber has concerns that the proposals and ideas” from the Wild Olympics Campaign “potentially could do more harm than good.”
Of the 19 voting members on the board, 15 were present and voted unanimously to support the resolution on Friday, said Russ Veenema, the chamber’s executive director.
The Wild Olympics Campaign, a coalition of conservation and recreation groups, is proposing a long-term series of purchases to convert timberland to wilderness, with a goal of adding 37,000 acres of wilderness areas, wild and scenic-designated rivers and hunting preserves to the Olympic Peninsula.
Some parcels could become additions to Olympic National Park with the approval of Congress.
Wild Olympics leadership is currently working to draft a bill to present to Congress for consideration.
Here is the chamber’s resolution:
“Over the course of the last few months the chamber has had presentations regarding the Wild Olympics’ proposal both pro and con and how the Wild Olympics’ ideas would impact land use issues on the Olympic Peninsula.
“The board of directors which represents a cross section of the business and government sectors of the community has discussed the proposals from the Wild Olympics organization and has adopted the following position.
“The board understands there are still many details that are going to be worked through regarding legislation, and wanted our legislators to understand the importance of looking at the economics and business impacts in addition to environment and land use impacts.
“The Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce is watching closely the Wild Olympics’ proposal and commends the group for the goal of wanting to preserve the beauty of Olympic National Park.
“However the chamber has concerns that the proposals and ideas potentially could do more harm than good.
“As the discussion continues and legislators consider language regarding the proposals, it is the chamber’s position that decisions also be based on economics for the area and that the end result allow for the region to have no net loss of jobs for the industries which will be directly impacted by the Wild Olympics’ legislation.”
In the Wild Olympics proposals, land purchases would be funded with offshore oil funds, and it could take as long as 40 years before significant amounts of acreage would be purchased, proponents said.
Most of the land to be purchased under the proposals are currently held by private timber interests.
Whenever a property is put up for sale, an offer would be made to purchase it as designated wilderness or for Olympic National Park.
The landowners would not be under obligation to take that offer over any others, according to Wild Olympics proponents.
Timber industry representatives have voiced the concern that removing 37,000 acres of private timber lands would damage the industry.
A North Olympic Timber Action Committee study said the proposals could cause the loss of as many as 226 jobs and up to $4 million in tax revenue for local governments.
The business committee of the Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce recently came out against Wild Olympics after months of sitting on the fence.
Chamber of Commerce President LeRoy Tipton is now drafting a letter to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, whose congressional district includes the North Olympic Peninsula, to lobby against introducing legislation supporting Wild Olympics’ proposals.
“As representatives of our local business community, we just cannot support the Wild Olympics Campaign,” Tipton told The Daily World newspaper in Aberdeen on Tuesday.
“We feel very strongly that this is certainly not the right time for us to set aside land for an expansion when our forest products businesses are having difficulty getting enough supply.”
