
15-13 Oregon Democrats Defy Reality, Risk Billions | Plus Oregon’s Timber Revival?
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Show 15-13 Summary: This week on I Spy Radio, Representative Ed Diehl (HD-17) exposes how Oregon’s Democrat supermajority is working overtime to block President Trump’s Executive Orders, risking billions in federal funds to defend their woke ideology. Joined by Dr. Bob Zybach, who unpacks the benefits of these EOs for Oregon’s forests. Healthy and a revived timber industry. We dive into the state’s tax hikes, a controversial Santiam Canyon fires report, and the high-stakes battle between federal progress and democrat resistance. Tune in to understand what’s really at stake for Oregon’s economy and future.

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Air Dates: March 29th & 30th, 2025 | Guests: Bob Zybach and Ed Diehl
This Week – Oregon Democrats Choose Ideology over Oregonians
Oregon stands at a crossroads. President Trump’s Executive Orders are set to unlock federal forests in Oregon for logging. This could revitalize the state’s timber industry, bringing jobs and economic growth. But there’s a major roadblock: Oregon’s supermajority Democrat-controlled state legislature is digging in, pledging to stand in the way of any positive federal changes at every turn—defending their woke ideology even at the cost of billions in federal funds.
The Promise of Healthier Forests
First up, Dr. Bob Zybach, a forest management expert and consultant, sets the stage by explaining why Trump’s EOs are a game-changer. He argues these orders could restore sustainable logging and healthier ecosystems—the first truly good news for Oregon’s forests in decades. He also shares a proposed executive order from the National Wildfire Alliance for even more practical solutions.
Dr. Zybach also uncovers a new Oregon Department of Forestry report on the 2020 Santiam Canyon fires, which claimed nine lives. The report shifts blame to the federal forest service, just as new legislation looms. Is this timing a coincidence—or a distraction?
Dr Zybach just published his third anthology, Forest Reforestation & Restoration. Maybe you should get a copy and give it to your legislator…?
Democrats Defy Progress, Risk Billions
In the second half of the show, Representative Ed Diehl (HD-17) reveals how the Democrat supermajority is working overtime to block Trump’s EOs. They’re defending their woke ideology, even if it means losing billions in federal funds—including for Oregon’s universities, which are already on shaky ground after recent waivers were revoked for non-compliance.
Tax Hikes to Offset the Loss? Yikes!
To make up for the potential loss of federal dollars, Democrats are taxing everything in sight. As we discuss, it’s probably easier to list what’s not being taxed. Rep. Diehl explains how these tax hikes will hit Oregonians hard, especially as the state risks its economic future. Oregon is already seen as one of the least business-friendly states in the nation. What you’ll hear will not change Oregon’s image on that front. Like SB916. Which already passed out of the senate and will pay union workers to strike.
Why This Matters to You
This episode is a wake-up call for every Oregonian. Will the state embrace federal progress, or will the Democrats’ defiance cost us billions? Tune in to hear Rep. Ed Diehl and Dr. Bob Zybach lay out the facts. As Mark Anderson says, this show might inspire even non-affiliated voters to take action.
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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info
Bob Zybach Segments – Timber Revival
- Check back for Dr. Bob’s recent article when it is published (sorry, we jumped the gun a bit).
- Read the National Wildfire Alliance’s proposed executive order (PDF) to bring back common sense wildfire fighting and prevention
- New Oregon Department of Forestry Report Says PacifiCorp Wasn’t Responsible for Santiam Canyon Fire (Willamette Week, March 19, 2025)* “The long-awaited report supports the utility’s version of the deadly blaze.” *The report, released today to the Oregon Journalism Project under a public records request submitted in January, is a huge victory for PacifiCorp, the embattled utility that in 2023 was found by a jury to have been grossly negligent in declining to shut off power to the Santiam Canyon fire.
- New Oregon Department of Forestry report says PacifiCorp wasn’t responsible for Santiam Canyon fire (Salem Reporter, March 19, 2025)
- Judge dismisses $33 million timber lawsuit against U.S. Forest Service over 2020 wildfire response (Central Oregon Daily News, Dec. 18, 2024)
Ed Diehl Segments – Supermajority Democrats Seek to Punish and Defy
- Legislation: HB 3917 Creates Catastrophic Wildfire Fund (Oregon Citizens Lobby, March 24, 2025)
- Climate change tax: SB 1187, “Relating to greenhouse gas emissions” (Bill Overview, Text and Summary
- You can submit testimony about SB1187 at this link. Deadline is April 7th.
- PPS, OSAA targeted by feds over transgender policy (KOIN, March 25, 2025)
- House GOP asks Feds to investigate OHA health care $$ misuse (Oregon Catalyst, March 24, 2025)
- “This is state-sponsored medical experimentation on kids, paid for with your tax dollars,” said House Health Care Committee member Representative Ed Diehl (R-Stayton). “And when OHA’s own commission found no evidence to justify it, they buried the report.”
- Trump administration revokes some federal funds to Oregon colleges, universities (KGW, March 27, 2025)
- “The US Department of Education announced Thursday it is revoking federal waivers to Oregon and California colleges and universities that it says are using funding to provide services to migrants in the country illegally.”
- Office for Civil Rights Launches Title IX Investigations into Portland Public Schools and the Oregon School Activities Association (US Dept of Education, Press release, March 25, 2025)
- Democrats seek to revive ranked choice voting — AFTER voters rejected it by 58%
- Nearly 60% of Oregon counties face program cuts (OPB, Mar 26, 2025)
- At least 21 of Oregon’s 36 county governments, from the Portland metro area to rural southern Oregon, are facing deficits that could prompt cuts to public services, including law enforcement, road maintenance, and health care .
Related and Background Research
- Not mentioned but this will be the focus of next week’s show:
- Oregon officials challenge Trump’s election order as threat to democratic process (KVAL, March 26, 2025)
- Oregon officials say Trump’s voting EO likely to face legal challenges (OregonLive, Mar 26, 2025)
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Protects the Integrity of American Elections (Whitehouse, March 25, 2025)
- The order would also require all ballots be received by election day nationwide, effectively moving election day for states like Oregon with vote by mail.
- It would also cut federal funding to states that “don’t take reasonable steps to secure their election
- Oregon officials challenge Trump’s election order as a “threat to democratic process.”
- The Climate Scam is Over (Dr Robert Malone, Substack, March 22, 2025)
- Peer-reviewed AI analysis completely debunks all of the “man-made” claims
- Trump Tackles Election Integrity With Sweeping Executive Order; Will Punish States That Don’t Comply (ZeroHedge, March 26, 2025)
- US Supreme Court Rejects Long Running Youth Climate Lawsuit (Watts Up With That, March 25, 2025)
- Calculating the “Social Cost of Carbon” with the GIVE Model: An EPA Model Not Ready for Prime Time (Heritage, January 24, 2025)
- New Forest Service report reveals agency wants to max out logging (Wild Earth Guardians, April 5, 2024) *Agency proposes cutting both public involvement and forests important for combating climate change.