In the 1990’s, Oregon’s powerful timber industry used its influence to win a series of tax cuts that have cost local governments a cumulative $3 billion. Once-vibrant communities were left struggling to pay for basic services without the taxes that once came from logging the valuable forests that surround them. (https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/02/oregon-timber-industry-tax-cuts-legislature/)

Oregon’s forest sector employed 62,300 people in 2023, while outdoor recreation supports over 224,000 full - and part-time jobs across the state. Investing in a healthy environment is investing in our economy. 

We’ve seen this tactic before: corporations promise economic prosperity via tax revenue and job availability and work behind closed doors with lawmakers to receive tax cuts and local jobs disappear with dramatic advances in automation. 

Amazon warehouses and data centers are aggressively automating their operations, aiming to automate 75% of operations by 2033, potentially reducing reliance on 600,000 manual roles. 

Measure 20-373 promotes local democracy by empowering communities to have a voice in what corporations can take foothold in their county and stop destruction and pollution from harming the watershed.