From Greenwire, by Dan Berman
A program whose congressional supports call "the lifeblood" for communities coping with declining timber sales on federal land may face future funding woes, Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey told reporters yesterday after a Senate hearing on the law.
At issue is the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, a 2000 law that has led to payments of $1.2 billion so far to counties hurt by lost timber revenues. The Senate Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee heard testimony on the law yesterday -- the first step in a campaign by Western lawmakers to reauthorize the measure, which expires in 2007.
Subcommittee Chairman Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced legislation last week to reauthorize the law for seven years.
The
county payments law has "stabilized payments to rural forest counties and more importantly has brought communities together to accomplish projects on the ground that improve watersheds and enhance habitat," Craig said.
"This bill is essentially the lifeblood for thousands of communities that are hurting," Wyden said, asking for President Bush's support. "We are going to need this administration's strong support in order to get this funded."
Rey did not detail the Bush administration's position on the reauthorization during the hearing but told reporters afterwards it would be difficult to fully fund the program given record federal budget deficits. The 2000 bill was passed during a period of budget surpluses.
In his testimony, Rey lauded the law, noting that $1.2 billion has been distributed and payments are higher than they would be under the old system.
Traditionally, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management paid counties
25 percent of forest product revenues from federal lands. But when timber sales, the funds' main contributor, began declining in the 1980s, counties began losing money that go toward schools, roads and other services.
For example, the total payments to states and counties under the 25 percent system would have been $71 million in fiscal year 2004, Rey said, but under the county payments law, full payment was $396 million last year.
Rey helped draft the measure as a staffer for Craig in the late 1990s and now oversees the Forest Service for the Bush administration. "I'm glad it's working because I can't complain about the people drafting it, and I can't complain about the people implementing it," he said.
The law has helped meet its three objectives, Rey said. These include establishing stable payment for schools and transportation, making additional investments in public and private lands, and improving cooperative relationships among stakeholders and federal agencies.
One particular success story has come in the establishment of resource advisory committees of stakeholder groups that recommend environmental restoration projects to be funded by federal payments. Overall, 56 committees nationwide have recommended over 1,800 projects costing more than $100 million, Rey said.
The fact that none of the projects recommended and implemented by the resource advisory committees have been appealed or litigated is especially impressive in the often divisive climate surrounding Forest Service management actions.
"This is the only area of forest policy that isn't a litigation derby,"
Wyden
said.
