FOREST GROVE, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon lumber company is cutting its workforce by about 40%, citing the state’s “regulatory and tax creep.”
The Stimson Lumber Company announced Friday that it would lay off 60 jobs from its Forest Grove operations.
CEO Andrew Miller said environmental permit fees, Oregon’s Clean Fuels Tax and pending cap and trade legislation are stacking up the cost of doing business in the state.
The company said it will now shift some of that work to Idaho and Montana, where it cost 5% to 7% less to produce lumber products.
In Oregon, Stimson also operates in Tillamook and Clatskanie.
Miller is a longtime Republican donor who has for years railed against new taxes and fees supported by Democrats who have gained power.
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