Senate cuts timber payments from bill
Monday, June 25, 2007 10:35 AM PDT
EUGENE (AP) — The U.S. Senate cut a multiyear extension of county timber payments from an energy bill that passed Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
But he said he believes the extension will pass eventually.
‘‘We are going to stay at this until we get a multiyear agreement so our rural communities have enough time to make a transition,’’ he said.
Counties that rely heavily on the payments for much of their budgets won a temporary reprieve with recent federal approval of a one-year payment for the coming fiscal year.
But the counties will have to make major cuts or find new revenue after that if the payments are not extended.
The program started in 2000 and has compensated counties for federal timberland that can’t be taxed and for county shares of timber revenues from trees that can no longer be cut under federal regulations.
Wyden is seeking 80 percent of the money under extended payments that the counties received over the past five years.
Last week Wyden got a Senate committee to include the aid in an energy bill, but the full Senate cut it.
Senate and House lawmakers say they are committed to the program, he said, and said the White House, which once opposed it, is indicating support.
Many Oregon counties rejected tax hike proposals last month that were intended to offset the loss in timber revenues, but they have not come up with locally raised money to replace it. Wyden, meanwhile, said he will try to attach the extension ‘‘to every (bill) out there.
‘‘We are going to get this done,’’ he said.
Num wrote on Jun 3, 2008 10:41 AM: