Obama issues 'Oregon' plan

SALEM — A week after Hillary Rodham Clinton issued what she called her "Oregon Compact," her Democratic presidential opponent, Barack Obama, issued his own set of priorities he will pursue on Oregon's behalf if he wins the presidency.

Obama said he would work to continue a program that provides federal payments to timber-dependent counties; give the state ultimate siting authority over liquefied natural gas terminals; and restore depleted salmon runs along the Pacific coast.

Clinton's Oregon spokeswoman, Julie Edwards, said Obama's Oregon blueprint is lacking because it doesn't list as many Oregon issues as Clinton's blueprint.

"Ninety percent of the document is not Oregon specific, Edwards said. "What remains is a rehash of what was in the Oregon Compact released by Sen. Clinton last week."

Obama's Oregon's spokesman, Nick Shapiro, said the Obama plan is broader than Clinton's because it includes issues that affect people no matter where they live, such as the economy and ending the war in Iraq.

"Oregonians appreciate the fact that issues that matter to them matter to other people all across the country," Shapiro said.

Further, he said, both presidential contenders "have addressed local concerns of Oregonians, including salmon fisheries, county timber payments, preserving woodlands and LNG siting."