Committee OKs timber payout blueprint

Thursday, September 27, 2007 2:02 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to extend federal payments to counties in 39 states hurt by cutbacks in logging on national forests passed out of a House committee on Wednesday. A bill sponsored by Oregon Democrats Rep. Peter DeFazio and Rep. Darlene Hooley was passed by voice vote by the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill would give 700 counties transition payments that ramp down for four years, while payments under the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program ramp up over four years. The $2.7 billion cost would be covered by increased revenues from federal offshore oil and gas leases.

‘‘Other committees’ bills are eyeing the same pot of money, so it’s a race to the finish line,’’ DeFazio said. ‘‘Whoever gets there first gets their program.’’

Western lawmakers have pushed for two years to extend the timber payments program, which has made up for reduced federal timber revenues due to logging cutbacks imposed in the 1990s. The program expired late last year, leading to cuts in libraries, roads, public safety and schools. A one-year extension was enacted this year. A five-year extension of the payments has also passed out of committee in the Senate. Both versions would ramp down payments to counties, then

The House bill, HR 3058, could be attached to some larger funding bill without further consideration. The House Committee on Agriculture has to act on it before it can go to the House floor on its own.

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