[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 77 (Wednesday, May 26, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE ACCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 24, 1999

  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the problems that 
occur when the federal government is the owner of a high percentage of 
the property in a given area. This week, my distinguished colleague 
from Virginia, Mr. Davis, has done his part to address these problems 
as they affect the District of Columbia. Mr. Davis' bill, The District 
of Columbia College Access Act (H.R. 974), is a recognition of the fact 
that the federal government's ownership of land in D.C. has so badly 
affected the income and infrastructure of the city that it has been 
unable to create a public university system that offers students a 
quality education at a reasonable cost. H.R. 974 would create a fund to 
allow students to attend public universities in other states at the in-
state tuition rate, giving students from Washington, D.C. a better 
chance to succeed.
  I salute my friend from Virginia for his effort to help students from 
one area where local tax rolls are hurt by having a large federal 
presence. I think he and others from the D.C. area would be surprised, 
however, to discover just how much they have in common with residents 
of the counties in the Second District of Oregon. In fact, while the 
federal government owns approximately 26% of the land in D.C., it owns 
nearly three times that percentage of Lake County (76%) in eastern 
Oregon and Deschutes County (77.5%) in central Oregon. In fact, in 10 
of the 20 counties of the Second District, the Federal Government owns 
over 50% of the land, and thirteen of the 20 contain a greater 
percentage of federally owned land than does D.C.
  Similar to the situation in D.C., this high percentage of federal 
land means that these counties have very limited taxable property, 
seriously hurting their ability to fund schools, roads, and other 
necessities. Exacerbating the problems for these Oregon counties is the 
fact that, unlike in D.C. where the federal government uses its land to 
employ people and contribute to the local economy, the Forest Service 
and BLM lands that dominate the Second District are increasingly off-
limits to economic productivity. While in the past, rural Oregon 
counties could depend upon federal timber receipts, grazing fees, and 
other economic activity on federal lands to partially make up for low 
taxable property, in the 1990's the Clinton administration has 
sacrificed the economic well-being of Oregon's counties and turned its 
back on responsible management of federal lands. As you can see, Mr. 
Speaker, the prevalence of federal land that is closed to economic 
activity has created a serious problem for many counties in Oregon and 
elsewhere in the West.
  I would like to once again thank my colleague, Mr. Davis, for 
addressing the problems created by federal land ownership in the 
District of Columbia. I hope that he and others from the East Coast 
will join me and my fellow Westerners in addressing the desperate needs 
of rural counties in Oregon and elsewhere in the West. Unfortunately, 
in some counties in Oregon, the question is not whether students can 
afford to go to college, but whether public schools can fix leaky roofs 
and counties can afford to maintain crumbling roads. These problems get 
to the most basic services provided by local government, and the 
federal government must be held accountable for the damage its land 
management policies have caused rural counties. I look forward to 
continuing to work with other Members of Congress to help counties in 
Oregon and other Western states provide decent schools, roads and other 
essential services to their students.

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