Timber company sues over Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expansion

Eugene, Ore. — The president of a timber company with mills in southern Oregon, is suing over the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Days before leaving office, President Barack Obama added nearly 50,000 acres to the monument. That expansion is impacting companies who rely heavily on the public timber.

The president of Murphy Co. says 80% of the federal land in the expansion area is dedicated to timber production under the O&C Lands Act.

“Enough’s enough,” Murphy Co. President Tom Murphy says, “the trees in Oregon are vital to jobs they’re vital to the US economy, and you know we want to see a level playing field with our resources.”

The company filed suit Friday. Murphy hopes the Trump administration will reverse the expansion. If the expansion sticks, he says it will negatively impact their operations in White City.