It was disappointing that there were only two county commissioners at the recent public meeting to discuss the Economic Opportunities Analysis. We, the public, were only allowed to respond to the plan based on written proposals that were laid out on tables for our approval or disapproval.

What was missing in the proposals was any mention of climate change or economic opportunities related to that 2,000-pound gorilla in the room. One such opportunity is the sale of carbon credits on parcels of our county’s abundant state forest.

The city of Astoria’s has already successfully sold carbon credits on forestland in the Bear Creek watershed. More significantly, the entire Elliott State Forest, all 83,000 acres, has been approved for carbon credit sales. That was just the second time the Oregon Land Board has allowed carbon credits on state forestland.

Brett Brownscombe, Elliott State Forest transition director at the Oregon Department of State Lands, recently indicated a new direction is being developed for state forest land management that is “a lot bigger than just the Elliott … We want to be part of the evolution of these markets, not by standing on the sidelines, but by participating in what the current reality is, and using that to shape future realities.”

Our county commission would do well to drop their futile efforts to rescind the habitat conservation plan, and instead follow Brownscombe’s lead by advocating for carbon credits on our county’s state land. Our budget could benefit from some free money.

ROGER DORBAND

Astoria