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FUR COMMISSION USA PRESS RELEASE, JUNE 3, 2003
Oregon Senate Takes Aim at "Ecosaboteurs"
Life is set to become tougher for Oregon's eco-terrorist community if a bill already approved by the Senate can pass muster in the House.
Senate Bill 385 takes aim at environmental and animal rights terrorists who attack farms, timber outfits and research facilities. It won approval in the Oregon Senate 23-6 on June 2.
Oregon has long been a hot bed of eco-terrorism, resulting in $50 million in damage in the last decade, explained the bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Ted Ferrioli. "Oregon needs a new mechanism to deal with the problem of ecosabotage," he said.
The last year and a half has seen a comparative lull in the state's eco-terror crimes, but in 2001 there was a flurry of attacks with damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. In January, a timber company's offices in Glendale were burned down, at a cost of $500,000. In March, a Eugene truck dealership was attacked by arsonists, causing an estimated $1 million in damage. In April, arsonists destroyed three cement trucks worth $210,000. And in May, arsonists struck a tree farm outside Clatskanie, causing $500,000 in damage. Guilt for most of these crimes was claimed by the Earth Liberation Front, defined by the FBI as a terrorist organization.
Under current Oregon law, there is a two-year statute of limitations on the prosecution of such crimes. SB 385 would extend this period to five years.
It also would add "ecosabotage" to the list of crimes that can be prosecuted under the state's racketeering laws and allow prosecutors to seek triple damages against convicted saboteurs. The bill defines "ecosabotage" as crimes committed "to further environmental objectives."
Opponents of the bill expressed concern that it could be used to pursue environmentalists who engage in civil disobedience. But Ferrioli assured them that the bill is aimed specifically at people who destroy property.
See also:
FCUSA Press Kit Special Feature : Safge Farms Campaign
FCUSA chronology of animal rights / eco-terrorism
For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.
To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm