Trapped between these diametrically opposing forces, Clinton did his best to project hope for a mutually acceptable compromise. “How hard would it be to get everyone to agree how much [forest] to put aside?” he asked one discussion group in Portland. “Very hard,” a participant answered. At another point, Clinton predicted that the outcome “won’t make anyone completely happy.” “I cannot repeal the laws of change,” he said. “We’ll do what we can. [But] I don’t pretend any of this is easy.” In fact, the timber industry’s economic problems go far beyond the spotted owl-and, in fact, the Endangered Species Act gives Clinton and Congress precious little leeway to protect endangered jobs. But the daylong conference was never intended to produce a settlement: it was a peace parley whose main goal was to ventilate the issues and educate the public. In the end, Clinton ordered his cabinet to bring him a plan to end the stalemate within 60 days. It wasn’t action, but it created a mood of reasonableness. “We thought we lost the election,” said Luke Popovich, a timberindustry lobbyist. “But he doesn’t think we’re a bunch of greedy animals. He really wants to solve the problem.”
Environmentalists, who in recent years have all but shut down logging on federal lands through lawsuits and administrative appeals, seemed less satisfied. They argue that 90 percent of all “old growth” forests have already been cut, and they see no good reason to cede any part of the remaining 10 percent. Although environmental groups worked hard to elect the Clinton-Gore ticket, some activists fear that Clinton’s penchant for consensus will lead to further harm. “If they want to cut the baby in half the answer is no,” said Andy Kerr, conservation director of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. Kerr, whose take-no-prisoners rhetoric almost got him excluded from the conference, seemed to reflect the doubts about the administration. “I’m going to remain optimistic for now,” he said. But, he added, “how green this administration is still to be determined.”
One reason for their caution was the news from Washington last week. In a decision with big implications for the West, Clinton temporarily dropped his proposal to impose new fees for mineral and grazing rights on federally owned lands. This proposal had been contained in the administration’s economic plan, which now faces tough going in the Senate; Clinton needs the support of Westerners like Sen. Max Baucus of Montana and Rep. Tom Foley of Washington, the speaker of the House. White House officials said the reversal was only tactical and that the proposal would be presented to Congress separately at a later date. But that will probably make it more vulnerable to attack by ranchers and mining companies, and some in the environmental movement sensed strategic damage in the administration’s “tactical” retreat. Tim Hermach of the Native Forest Council complained of Clinton’s pattern of “boldly advancing on issues, only to turn tail and run every time he gets pressure from Congress and the special-interest groups.”
Still, most participants in the conference seemed to feel that it had done much to heal the bitterness that has marked the Northwest timber controversy. Loggers and their supporters, gathering for a “Family Forest Summit,” did their best to stifle the “fry-the-spotted-owl” jokes that have antagonized the greens, and one millworker, Mike Oswald, said, “There’s no reason to be angry-let’s be polite.” Eco-radicals like Earth First! marched in downtown Portland, and some 50,000 attended a rock festival that starred Neil Young, Kenny Loggins and Carole King. “I am tremendously cheered and encouraged, and I didn’t expect to be,” said Karin Sheldon of the Wilderness Society. “We are beginning finally to look at solutions.” Russell Dondero, a political scientist at Pacific University, thought “people are so fascinated with the idea of being included that they’re mesmerized,” which was another way of saying that Clinton’s brand of touchy-feely politics was working once again. The question now is what happens when the mood evaporates-and whether Clinton will still be seen as having done the right thing.
NATIONAL FORESTS 1 Mt. Baker 2 Okanogan 3 Olympic 4 Wenatchee 5 Snoqualmie 6 Gifford Pinchot 7 Mt.Hood 8 Siuslaw 9 Willamette 10 Deschutes 11 Umpqua 12 Winema 13 Siskiyou 14 Rogue River 15 Klamath 16 Six Rivers 17 Shasta 18 Trinity 19 Mendocino
