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Barack Obama  |
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Rob Kailey is a working schmuck with no ties or affiliations to any governmental or political organizations, save those of sympathy.
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Economic Crisis
Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 06:22:11 AM MST
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( - promoted by Jay Stevens)
This commentary from Dr. Thomas Michael Power, Research Professor and former Chair of the Economics Department at the University of Montana, was on Montana Public Radio earlier in the week.
Dr. Power's piece is a good history lesson, as well as a lesson in Economics 101. Hopefully Senator Tester, his staff and those supporting his misguided Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (here and here) take heed.
Power's piece is below the fold...
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Sat Sep 18, 2010 at 07:33:27 AM MST
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This week the Western Wood Products Association reported that the Western lumber industry in 2009 posted its worst year for production in modern history, and that the outlook for this year is even more dismal.
Key Findings
• Overall, U.S. demand for lumber in 2009 was less than half of what was consumed in 2005.
• The amount of lumber used for residential construction is down 76% compared to 2005.
• The lack of home building in the U.S. contributed to the historic decline. Just 554,000 houses were built in 2009, a 39 percent decline from the previous year and a staggering 75% decline from 2005.
• Low demand translated into even lower prices for Western lumber products. The estimated wholesale value of the 2009 production was $2.69 billion, down 26 percent from 2008. Five years ago, Western mills produced 19.3 billion board feet of lumber valued at $7.7 billion.
• Since 2005, output from Western lumber mills has fallen by some 46 percent.
Given the fact that overall lumber demand in the U.S. is down 50% since 2005 and housing starts are down 75% since 2005 one really has to question the motivation and economic rationale of those who are calling for Congress to step in and mandate more public lands logging.
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Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 11:15:54 AM MST
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( - promoted by Jay Stevens)
"Those of us in the timber community are struggling to stay afloat with the housing slump, poor market conditions, and lack of fiber supply."
- Ellen Simpson, Montana Wood Products Association
http://www.mtpr.net/commentari...
Say what, Ellen? At what point are you going to be honest with the public and elected officials regarding timber supply? We all know that you'd like to see more logging on national forests, but how can you honestly say that the timber industry is currently struggling because of a lack of fiber supply?
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Thu Jan 08, 2009 at 15:59:48 PM MST
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"Unfortunately, these steps are necessary to match supply with the eroding demand for our wood products."
- Rick Holley, Plum Creek president and chief executive officer.
Press Release
Plum Creek Reduces Production at Montana Mills
Thursday January 8, 2009, 5:00 pm EST
COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to unprecedented and challenging business conditions in the housing sector and a continuing decline in demand for wood products, Plum Creek (NYSE:PCL - News) today announced plans to reduce production at its four lumber sawmill facilities and Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) plant in Montana. These actions will result in the loss of 145 jobs.
Read Plum Creek's entire press release here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...
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Tue Nov 25, 2008 at 12:28:12 PM MST
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(A bailout for the building industry? Are you kidding me? - promoted by Jay Stevens)
Like the US Auto Industry (which for decades actively fought higher fuel efficiency standards and shunned any principles of sustainability while producing larger and larger cars and trucks) the National Association of Homebuilders wants a 250-billion-dollar bailout package.
This, despite the fact, that nobody at the National Association of Homebuilders sounded the alarm about the industry's own over-development and unsustainable practices, especially during the past ten years, that are one of the root causes of the current economic crisis.
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Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 09:57:41 AM MST
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( - promoted by Jay Stevens)
Today, Market Watch has an article concerning Home Depot's 31% drop and Lowe's 24% drop in third-quarter profits.
Interesting enough, neither Home Depot nor Lowe's - two of the biggest lumber retailers in America - blame their 3rd quarter profit drops on environmentalists or a lack of public lands logging, which is what Montana's logging industry lobbyists and many mill owners continue to do.
Rather, these giant retailers admit "The housing and home improvement markets remain challenging" and they are "seeing demand for their products being hurt by the macroeconomic backdrop of rising job losses, tightening credit and declining value of retirement funds that have all but frozen consumers' desires to spend."
We are, after all, in the midsts of the worst economic crisis in generations and America is experiencing the worst housing slump since the Great Depression and the steepest decline in lumber consumption ever. One has to wonder when these stark economic realities will sink into the heads of our local logging lobbyists.
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| Poll |
| Purely Hypothetical, of course, but - The best candidate for the Republicans for US Senate is: |
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Results
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