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Millions OK�d for counties Under bill approved by the Senate, Jackson County could get up to $8.8 million for timber replacement By Dani Dodge Legislation that replaces lost federal timber revenues to Jackson and other rural counties passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday. "This is some of the best news for the rural West in years and years," the bill�s co-sponsor Sen. Ron Wyden said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C. "This is one of the most satisfying nights of the 20 years I�ve been in the Congress." Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker was so excited when he heard the news on a television program that he recorded the broadcast. "Now, as long as the president doesn�t veto the bill, we�ll be in fat city," Walker said. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act will boost federal aid to rural schools and counties across the United States from $273 million in 1999 to $495 million next year � a boost of $222 million. Oregon will receive more than any other state from the bill � an extra $115 million � and Jackson County will receive the second highest amount of any county, an increase of as much as $8.8 million. The bill, which already had passed the House, now goes to a House-Senate conference committee that will reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions before the legislation is sent to the president for his signature. "I believe the White House will sign the bill," Wyden said. "I�ve talked with them about this extensively, and I talked with the vice president about it when he was in Oregon a couple weeks ago." The bill was co-sponsored by Wyden, a Democrat, and Larry Craig, a Republican from Idaho. The fight for the bill began nearly 18 months ago and included threats of vetoes and filibuster. Wyden said that in the end, it passed unanimously because legislators from the East came to understand some of the problems of the rural West, where much of the county land belongs to the federal government and so is tax-exempt. Under a 1908 law, counties with federal forests receive 25 percent of the revenue generated from the forests, mostly from logging. But as logging on federal lands declined by nearly 80 percent in the last decade, rural counties depending on the logging revenues to fund basic services came up short. The bill provides safety-net payments based on a formula tied to the average timber receipts from the three most profitable years between 1986 and 1999. Most of the money will come from the U.S. Treasury, although some funds will still be based on timber harvests. Wyden estimates the bill will mean a total of at least $19.3 million yearly to Jackson County government and schools. Another 15 percent will be available for ecologically sensitive projects on forest lands if communities can agree on projects that need to be done. Although passage of the bill will mean more money for the county, Walker said he and other commissioners aren�t writing checks yet. He said he�s worried about some initiatives on the November ballot that could gut the county�s budget. "What we are doing is hoping the possible negatives of the November election don�t take place so we can use that money for positive efforts," Walker said. Wyden said getting it passed was "as hard as anything" he�d ever done. "It seems to me that the legislation sends a strong message," Wyden said. "It is not right for federal policies to turn rural communities into economic sacrifice zones." On the Net: www.thomas.gov. The bill number is S. 1608. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA