Agriculture Secretary Clayton Yeutter on Friday named an Oregon forestry economist as his new deputy assistant secretary for natural resources and the environment. John Beuter, who works for a forestry consulting company in Portland, Ore., will become the top assistant to Assistant Agriculture Secretary James Moseley. The appointment is expected to be criticized by environmental leaders, who earlier this year accused Beuter of exaggerating timber-industry job loss tied to protection of the northern spotted owl. Beuter, 54, will help Moseley manage the U.S. Forest Service and Soil Conservation Service. Moseley led a White House task force on the threatened northern spotted owl earlier this year. Yeutter made the announcement while attending international trade talks in Brussels.
