September 26, 2007    

CONTACT: Allyson Groff, 202-226-9019
                                                 

Washington, D.C. - Legislation to restore much-needed payments to rural counties and schools in public lands communities received an unprecedented infusion of funding today, courtesy of a bill approved by the House Natural Resources Committee. 

The Public Land Communities Transition Act of 2007 (H.R. 3058) will provide four years of payments to rural counties and schools by fully funding the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and creating new "transition payments" to counties located on National Forest lands that received stable payments through the now expired Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act - commonly referred to as "county payments."  This bill mirrors a proposal that received overwhelming support in the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

"Never before has the Congress come so close to providing full funding for the PILT program," said U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and a sponsor of the legislation.  "This legislation makes good on the long-running federal commitment to our Nation's public lands communities, and is particularly well-timed given the Bush Administration's funding cuts to programs that help rural areas."

The legislation designates the forest transition payments as a new program within PILT, set to end in 2011.  PILT, administered by the Department of the Interior, are federal payments to local governments that help to offset the cost of services and infrastructure incurred by local jurisdictions where federal lands are located.  H.R. 3058 also includes a new county payment distribution formula that is based on the historical allocation of timber receipts, the concentration of public land within the county, and the current economic condition of the county. 

A previous proposal from the Administration would have funded the county payments program through the sale of over 300,000 acres of National Forest System lands.  That proposal was met with considerable skepticism and concern from Members of Congress and the public.  During consideration of H.R. 3058, Committee Republicans offered a proposal to pay for the program with Arctic drilling revenues and salvage logging receipts.

"We must not ignore the hardworking residents and families in rural communities that are desperately in need of the resources to fund local schools and safe roads," Rahall said.  "The enactment of this legislation is a priority."