Greg Walden Applauds $36.9 million in PILT Funding for Rural Oregon
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Announcement comes as Walden recently secured important forest management reforms into law
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) today applauded $36.9 million in funding under the 2018 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to support essential services in rural Oregon. The payments will be made to 36 counties in Oregon, and represent the largest amount ever allocated in the 40-year history of the PILT program.
“These funds are welcome news for rural communities across our state. I worked with my colleagues in the House to fully fund this program that is part of the federal government’s obligation to our rural counties,” said Walden. “With the majority of Oregon’s land managed by the federal government, these funds, along with Secure Rural Schools funds and timber receipts, help ensure our communities have well-functioning schools, law enforcement, and infrastructure. I applaud President Trump and Secretary Zinke for prioritizing this critical funding, and look forward to continuing to work alongside the Administration to improve the management of our public lands and provide Oregon’s rural communities with the support they need.”
In the government funding measure that was signed into law in March, Walden secured $530 million in full funding for PILT, which counties in rural Oregon rely on. PILT program eligibility is reserved for local governments that contain non-taxable Federal lands within their boundaries. These jurisdictions provide significant support for national parks, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas throughout the year. PILT seeks to compensate local governments for the inability to collect property taxes on Federally-owned land.
A full list of 2018 PILT funding by county in Oregon’s Second Congressional District is included below:
Today’s announcement comes as Walden recently secured important forest management reforms into law, including:
- 3,000 acre categorical exclusion for wildfire resiliency and hazardous fuels reduction projects.
- 10-year fire borrowing fix, to help end the vicious cycle of depleting resources for fire prevention to pay for fire suppression, which increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires year after year.
- Expanding Healthy Forest Restoration Act authority for fuel and fire break projects.
- Give the Forest Service and BLM the ability to offer stewardship contracts with a 20 year term.
- Expanding “Good Neighbor Policy” to help states with road maintenance, culverts, and other similar projects on Forest Service land.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed the 2018 Farm Bill with Walden’s strong support, making important progress to improve federal forest policy. The 2018 Farm Bill includes 10 categorical exclusions and reauthorizes the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, which is used to increase timber management in central, southern and eastern Oregon.
Press release provided from the Office of US Representative of Oregon, Greg Walden.