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Curry County approves MOU to serve as cooperating agency on BLM planning revisions
Summary
The Curry County Board of Commissioners voted March 25 to enter a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to act as a cooperating agency on revisions to the Northwestern/Coastal and Southwestern Oregon Records of Decision and Resource Management Plans, citing interest in influencing NEPA and land-management outcomes.
The Curry County Board of Commissioners on March 25 approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to make the county a cooperating agency with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management as it revises the Northwestern and Coastal Oregon and Southwestern Oregon Records of Decision and Resource Management Plans.
The chair introduced the MOU, saying the new BLM director is "very much wanting" to update land-use plans and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process; the chair urged the county to be "at the table" during revisions. The board then moved and seconded the MOU and voted to approve it.
Commissioners discussed potential impacts. The chair said the current management plan designates about 20% of O&C (Oregon and California Act) lands for timber management and that the BLM's proposed revisions could reopen additional lands to eligible timber harvest, which the chair said "increases our sustainable yield numbers" and "generates more timber receipts." The transcript records another speaker noting that increased timber receipts would "reduce giant mega fire chances," but the board did not record a formal analysis or estimate of fire-risk reduction.
Board members emphasized that federal plan changes and NEPA analyses conducted by the BLM will drive downstream decisions and obligations for county-level work. A commissioner asked whether the county should anticipate similar arrangements with the U.S. Forest Service; the chair and others clarified that the BLM (Department of the Interior) and Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) are separate processes with some procedural overlap.
The motion to approve the MOU passed after the board's votes were recorded. Commissioner Coker voted "Aye," Mr. Holladay said "Absolutely, yes," and the chair also voted in favor.
The MOU directs county participation as a cooperating agency in the BLM's planning process; the board did not provide a timeline or details of specific county obligations during the March 25 session.
