The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center conducted a poll in 2022 on the attitude of Oregonians regarding our public forests. It reported “Oregonians are united in their concern about future access to clean water.” 

“Nine in 10 express concern that access to clean water is not guaranteed for future generations.” In a 2023 study on environment and land use, the same Center concluded: “Clean air and water and the state’s natural beauty are among what [Oregonians] most value about living in Oregon.”

Protecting vs. selling our public lands is not a liberal or conservative issue; these lands are used by hikers, photographers, campers, fishers, hunters and ranchers for grazing their livestock. Yet Congressional District 2 Representative Cliff Bentz supports selling them with unspecified conditions. However, given the congressman’s oft-stated fealty toward Trump and his propensity to lie, as in claiming that Medicaid cuts just address waste, fraud and abuse, a claim the Republican Congressional Budget Office rejects, it is difficult to believe that he really has conditions.

Fortunately, the GOP plan to include the sale of 3.3.million acres of public lands was found by the Senate Parliamentarian to contravene Senate rules and had to be removed. It is noteworthy that Bentz was not a leading critic of this proposal and, in fact stated that “To be clear — I do support and encourage sale or exchange of parcels of federal land. …” 

Although he added some minor caveats, clearly Bentz does not represent the views of Oregonians, including many of his constituents.

Alan Journet / Jacksonville