[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 26 (Monday, February 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1873-S1877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I have detailed for you the dramatic story 
of Federal timber in Oregon. That serves as the backdrop for the issue 
at hand. As I mentioned I before, 25 percent of Forest Service timber 
receipts have been given to counties--nationwide--since 1908.
  The Twenty-Five Percent Fund Act, Public Law 60-136, reads as 
follows:

               Payment of Receipts for Schools and Roads

       On and after May 23, 1908, twenty-five per centum of all 
     moneys received during any fiscal year from each national 
     forest shall be paid, at the end of such year, by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury to the State or Territory in which 
     such national forest is situated, to be expended as the State 
     or Territorial legislature may prescribe for the benefit of 
     the public schools and public roads of

[[Page S1874]]

     the county or counties in which such national forest is 
     situated:
       Provided, That when any national forest is in more than one 
     State or Territory or county the distributive share to each 
     from the proceeds of such forest shall be proportional to its 
     area therein. In sales of logs, ties, poles, posts, cordwood, 
     pulpwood, and other forest products the amounts made 
     available for schools and roads by this section shall be 
     based upon the stumpage value of the timber.
       Beginning October 1, 1976, the term ``moneys received'' 
     shall include all collections under the Act of June 9, 1930, 
     and all amounts earned or allowed any purchaser of national 
     forest timber and other forest products within such State as 
     purchaser credits, for the construction of roads on the 
     National Forest Transportation System within such national 
     forests or parts thereof in connection with any Forest 
     Service timber sales contract.
       The Secretary of Agriculture shall, from time to time as he 
     goes through his process of developing the budget revenue 
     estimates, make available to the States his current 
     projections of revenues and payments estimated to be made 
     under the Act of May 23, 1908, as amended, or any other 
     special Acts making payments in lieu of taxes, for their use 
     for local budget planning purposes. (16 U.S.C. 500)


                       Law Enforcement Assistance

       Officials of the Forest Service designated by the Secretary 
     of Agriculture shall, in all ways that are practicable, aid 
     in the enforcement of the laws of the States and Territories 
     with regard to stock, for the prevention and extinguishment 
     of forest fires, and for the protection of fish and game, 
     and, with respect to national forests, shall aid the other 
     Federal bureaus and departments, on request from them, in the 
     performance of the duties imposed on them by law. (16 U.S.C. 
     553)


                Expenditures for Forest Fire Emergencies

       Advances of money under any appropriation for the Forest 
     Service may be made to the Forest Service and by authority of 
     the Secretary of Agriculture to chiefs of field parties for 
     fighting forest fires in emergency cases and detailed 
     accounts arising under such advances shall be rendered 
     through and by the Department of Agriculture to the General 
     Account Office. (16 U.S.C. 556d)

  Beginning in the late 1980s, timber sale receipts, the primary 
funding source for the 25 Percent Fund Act, began a precipitous decline 
for reasons I have explained earlier.
  This plunge in receipts intensified and then bottomed out at a much 
lower level in the 1990s. The decline in receipts impacted rural 
communities in the West, particularly communities in Washington, 
Oregon, northern California, and Idaho.
  For example, fiscal year 1998 national forest revenues were $557 
million--only 36 percent of the fiscal year 1989 peak revenues of 
$1.531 billion. In fiscal year 2004, national forest revenues were 
$281.1 million.
  Payments to many States under the 25 Percent Fund Act declined by an 
average of 70 percent from 1986 through 1998.
  Now these are national figures. Those in Oregon were far more severe, 
reflecting the drastic halt in the Federal timber sale program there.
  The problem was compounded because 18 Oregon counties have a 
different revenue-sharing agreement with the Bureau of Land Management 
that manages the O&C lands of western Oregon.
  In the original 1937 statute, the BLM is required to give 75 percent 
of timber revenue to the O&C counties. For the benefit of my 
colleagues, allow me to read this statute:

         Public Law Number 405 of the 75th Congress--H.R. 7618

       AN ACT Relating to the revested Oregon and California 
     Railroad and re-conveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands 
     situated in the State of Oregon.
       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     notwithstanding any provisions in the Acts of June 9, 1916 
     (39 Stat. 218), and February 26, 1919 (40 Stat. 1179), as 
     amended, such portions of the revested Oregon and California 
     Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands as 
     are or may hereafter come under the jurisdiction of the 
     Department of the Interior, which have heretofore or may 
     hereafter be classified as timberlands, and power-site lands 
     valuable for timber, shall be managed, except as provided in 
     section 3 hereof, for permanent forest production, and the 
     timber thereon shall be sold, cut, and removed in conformity 
     with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of 
     providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting 
     watersheds, regulating stream flow, and contributing to the 
     economic stability of local communities and industries, and 
     providing recreational facilities:
       Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed to 
     interfere with the use and development of power sites as may 
     be authorized by law. The annual productive capacity for such 
     lands shall be determined and declared as promptly as 
     possible after the passage of this Act, but until such 
     determination and declaration are made the average annual cut 
     there from shall not exceed one-half billion feet board 
     measure:
       Provided, That timber from said lands in an amount not less 
     than one-half billion feet board measure, or not less than 
     the annual sustained yield capacity when the same has been 
     determined and declared, shall be sold annually, or so much 
     thereof as can be sold at reasonable prices on a normal 
     market.
       If the Secretary of the Interior determines that such 
     action will facilitate sustained-yield management, he may 
     subdivide such revested lands into sustained-yield forest 
     units, the boundary lines of which shall be so established 
     that a forest unit will provide, insofar as practicable, a 
     permanent source of raw materials for the support of 
     dependent communities and local industries of the region; but 
     until such subdivision is made the land shall be treated as a 
     single unit in applying the principle of sustained yield:
       Provided, That before the boundary lines of such forest 
     units are established, the Department, after published notice 
     thereof, shall hold a hearing thereon in the vicinity of such 
     lands open to the attendance of State and local officers, 
     representatives of dependent industries, residents, and other 
     persons interested in the use of such lands.
       Due consideration shall be given to established lumbering 
     operations in subdividing such lands when necessary to 
     protect the economic stability of dependent communities. 
     Timber sales from a forest unit shall be limited to the 
     productive capacity of such unit and the Secretary is 
     authorized, in his discretion, to reject any bids which may 
     interfere with the sustained-yield management plan of any 
     unit.
       Section 2. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in 
     his discretion, to make cooperative agreements with other 
     Federal or State forest administrative agencies or with 
     private forest owners or operators for the coordinated 
     administration, with respect to time, rate, method of 
     cutting, and sustained yield, or forest units comprising 
     parts of revested or reconveyed lands, together with lands in 
     private ownership or under the administration of other public 
     agencies, when by such agreements he may be aided in 
     accomplishing the purposes hereinbefore mentioned.
       Section 3. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to 
     classify, either on application or otherwise, and restore to 
     homestead entry, or purchase under the provisions of section 
     14 of the Act of June 28, 1934 (48 Stat. 1269), any of such 
     revested or reconveyed land which, in his judgment, is more 
     suitable for agricultural use than for afforestation, 
     reforestation, stream-flow protection, recreation, or other 
     public purposes.
       Any of said lands heretofore classified as agricultural may 
     be reclassified as timber lands, if found, upon examination, 
     to be more suitable for the production of trees than 
     agricultural use, such reclassified timber lands to be 
     managed for permanent forest production as herein provided.
       Section 4. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in 
     his discretion, to lease for grazing any of said revested or 
     reconveyed lands which may be so used without interfering 
     with the production of timber or other purposes of this Act 
     as stated in section 1:
       Provided, That all the moneys received on account of 
     grazing leases shall be covered either into the ``Oregon and 
     California land-grant fund'' or the ``Coos Bay Wagon Road 
     grant fund'' in the Treasury as the location of the leased 
     land shall determine, and be subject to distribution as other 
     moneys in such funds:
       Provided further, That the Secretary is also authorized to 
     formulate rules and regulations for the use, protection, 
     improvement, and rehabilitation of such grazing lands.
       Section 5. The Secretary of the Interior is hereby 
     authorized to perform any and all acts and to make such rules 
     and regulations as may be necessary and proper for the 
     purpose of carrying the provisions of this Act into full 
     force and effect.
       The Secretary of the Interior is further authorized, in 
     formulating forest-practice rules and regulations, to consult 
     with the Oregon State Board of Forestry, representatives of 
     timber owners and operators on or contiguous to said revested 
     and reconveyed lands, and other persons or agencies 
     interested in the use of such lands.
       In formulating regulations for the protection of such 
     timberlands against fire, the Secretary is authorized, in his 
     discretion, to consult and advise with Federal, State, and 
     county agencies engaged in forest-fire-protection work, and 
     to make agreements with such agencies for the cooperative 
     administration of fire regulations therein:
       Provided, That rules and regulations for the protection of 
     the revested lands from fire shall conform with the 
     requirements and practices of the State of Oregon insofar as 
     the same are consistent with the interests of the United 
     States.
     TITLE II
       That on and after March 1, 1938, all moneys deposited in 
     the Treasury of the United States in the special fund 
     designated the ``Oregon and California land-grant fund'' 
     shall be distributed annually as follows:
       (a) Fifty per centum to the counties in which the lands 
     revested under the Act of

[[Page S1875]]

     June 9, 1916 (39 Stat. 218), are situated, to be payable on 
     or after June 30, 1938, and each year thereafter to each of 
     said counties in the proportion that the total assessed value 
     of the Oregon and California grant lands in each of said 
     counties for the year 1915 bears to the total assessed value 
     of all of said lands in the State of Oregon for said year, 
     such moneys to be used as other county funds.
       (b) Twenty-five per centum to said counties as money in 
     lieu of taxes accrued or which shall accrue to them prior to 
     March 1, 1938, under the provisions of the Act of July 13, 
     1926 (44 Stat. 915), and which taxes are unpaid on said date, 
     such moneys to be paid to said counties severally by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, upon 
     certification by the Secretary of the Interior, until such 
     tax indebtedness as shall have accrued prior to March 1, 
     1938, is extinguished.
       From and after payment of the above accrued taxes said 25 
     per centum shall be accredited annually to the general fund 
     in the Treasury of the United States until all reimbursable 
     charges against the Oregon and California land-grant fund 
     owing to the general fund in the Treasury have been paid:
       Provided, That if for any year after the extinguishment of 
     the tax indebtedness accruing to the counties prior to March 
     1, 1938, under the provisions of Forty-fourth Statutes, page 
     915, the total amount payable under subsection (a) of this 
     title is less than 78 per centum of the aggregate amount of 
     tax claims which accrued to said counties under said Act for 
     the year 1934, there shall be additionally payable for such 
     year such portion of said 25 per centum (but not in excess of 
     three-fifths of said 25 per centum), as may be necessary to 
     make up the deficiency.
       When the general fund in the Treasury has been fully 
     reimbursed for the expenditures which were made charges 
     against the Oregon and California land-grant fund said 25 per 
     centum shall be paid annually, on or after June 30, to the 
     several counties in the manner provided in subsection (a) 
     hereof.
       (c) Twenty-five per centum to be available for the 
     administration of this Act, in such annual amounts as the 
     Congress shall from time to time determine. Any part of such 
     per centum not used for administrative purposes shall be 
     covered into the general fund of the Treasury of the United 
     States:
       Provided, That moneys covered into the Treasury in such 
     manner shall be used to satisfy the reimbursable charges 
     against the Oregon and California land-grant fund mentioned 
     in subsection (b) so long as any such charges shall exist.
       All Acts or parts of Acts in conflict with this Act are 
     hereby repealed to the extent necessary to give full force 
     and effect to this Act.
       Approved, August 28, 1937.

  As my colleagues have just heard, the O&C Act mandates permanent 
timber production from these lands for the benefit of the counties.
  This is a drastically different management direction than the 
National Forests. In fact, the act states that timber production should 
not be less than half a billion board feet a year--500 million board 
feet--but within the sustained yield level.
  This means harvesting less than the growth rate of the trees, while 
still meeting goals for protection of water and wildlife.
  In the 1980s, the harvest level on the O&C lands was well in excess 
of a billion board feet per year. By 1990, harvest had fallen to 100 
million board feet--a 94-percent drop within a decade.
  Between the O&C Act and the 25 Percent Act, revenue sharing with 
Oregon counties capitalized public services in my State for 
generations.
  These funds literally built the libraries and schools and roads in 
the rural parts of Oregon. They paid the bills, bought the books and 
kept communities safe.
  And then, all of a sudden, those funds vanished into thin air. 
Hundreds of communities in my State--landlocked by Federal land--were 
left to wither and die on the Federal vine.
  In some school districts, revenues from the Forest Service have 
declined by as much as 90 percent. Timber receipts to Grant County, OR, 
for roads and schools declined from a high of $12.4 million in 1992 to 
$1.9 million in 1997.
  Schools there operated 4 days a week. Road crews were laid off. Law 
enforcement and search and rescue were curtailed.
  The evisceration of public services in rural counties was matched by 
affliction in the private sector. In April 1999, 14 of Oregon's 36 
counties had an unemployment rate at least twice the national average 
of 4.1 percent.
  There were six counties with unemployment rates in excess of 10 
percent, led by Grant County with nearly 17 percent.
  It is by no means an exaggeration that this condition was a direct 
result of Federal forest management decisions.
  And Oregon was not the only State held to the flames. The shadow of 
the Clinton forest philosophy fell upon every State with public lands.
  Impacted communities in Idaho, Alaska, California, Montana, Texas, 
Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and South Dakota were in equally 
dire circumstances.
  Congress responded to the outcry of these communities. Led by my 
colleague from Oregon, Senator Wyden, and my colleague from Idaho, 
Senator Craig--Congress developed a safety net to stop the hemorrhage.
  The future of that safety net--and of the communities helplessly held 
in it--is why I stand in the Senate chamber today.
  Mr. President, I do want to talk about Oregon impacts.
  On October 30, 2000, Public Law 106-393 was signed into law to offset 
the effect of decreased revenues available to States from declining 
timber harvests on Federal lands.
  Also known as the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
Determination Act, it authorized a temporary alternative to the 
receipts-based payment of the previous 100 years.
  In essence, the Secure Rural Schools Act provided direct funding to 
counties and States based on historic rather than actual timber 
harvests and receipts. This statute provided annual payments to States 
for fiscal years 2001 to 2006. An eligible county had the option of 
electing to receive its share of the State's 25-percent payment or its 
share of the average of the State's three highest 25-percent payments 
from fiscal years 1986 through 1999.
  Of the 717 counties and the 4,400 rural schools in 41 States that 
were eligible for their share of the State's amount under the act, 550, 
or 77 percent, initially decided to accept that payment in fiscal year 
2001. By 2003, 615 counties, or 86 percent, of eligible counties took 
the safety net payments rather than payment from actual timber 
harvests.
  The majority of these counties are located in the western and 
southern portions of this country, while those that have remained under 
the 25 Percent Fund Act are primarily in the Great Lakes area, where 
Federal timber harvest has remained sustainable.
  Payments from National Forests authorized by the Secure Rural Schools 
Act have totaled over $1 billion, and have averaged over $301 million 
each year since the act was implemented. Payments have varied by region 
of the country. For example, the fiscal year 2004 payments distribution 
included approximately $37 million to southern States, $14 million to 
northeast and midwest States, $273 million to Oregon, Washington, and 
California, and $71 million to the other western States.
  I should note that these figures represent Forest Service 
allocations, and Oregon receives an additional payment for the O&C 
lands.
  Funding derived from the Treasury has provided not only more stable 
funding but also significantly higher payments than would have been the 
case under the 25 Percent Fund. For example, if payments were still 
based on 25 percent of actual timber receipts in 2004, the total 
payment to all States would be $71.4 million. In comparison, the full 
payment amount for all States for fiscal year 2005 is $395.7 million, 
an 82-percent difference nationwide.
  When President Clinton signed the Secure Rural Schools bill into law, 
his press release stated:

       Rural communities will no longer be dependent on decreasing 
     federal timber sales to staff and equip schools and provide 
     essential government services.

  However, the President wrongly assumed that his Northwest Forest Plan 
was working. Again, his release stated:

       The President's Pacific Northwest Forest Plan broke the 
     stalemate over the northern spotted owl, balancing the 
     preservation of old-growth stands with the economic needs of 
     timber-dependent communities.

  While the current administration is doing what it can to bring 
Federal forest management up to speed, Oregon communities find 
themselves in the same situation they were in a decade ago.
  The county payments safety net expired last September. As this 
Chamber considers this half-trillion-dollar spending bill, Oregon 
county commissioners are preparing for a budgetary doomsday scenario. 
Let me describe what this grim situation is looking like to them.

[[Page S1876]]

  Baker County: Home of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the 
Geiser Grand Hotel, and named for COL Edward Baker--Mr. President, I 
will bet you did not know that there is one State that has more than 
two statues in Statuary Hall. That State is Oregon. We all get two, but 
Oregon got three because Edward Baker was a Senator killed in one of 
the first actions of the Civil War at Ball's Bluff, VA. He was also a 
former law partner to Abraham Lincoln.
  He found his way on a speechmaking tour to Oregon. They were so 
impressed with him they asked him to be their Senator. I have his seat 
today. He came back here as a sitting Senator and as an officer in the 
United States cavalry. While serving in both capacities, he lost his 
life. So Edward Baker, an Oregonian only briefly, has the third statue 
for Oregon in Statuary Hall. It is said that at his funeral, conducted 
in the Rotunda, it was difficult to hear because of the audible 
sobbings of the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
  In 2004, the Baker County Road Department received $577,000 from the 
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. If the Baker 
County Road Department had to rely on actual timber receipt revenue, 
they would have received only a fraction of that. In 2004, the Baker 
County School District received $211,000 from the safety net.
  Let me go to Benton County, the home of the Oregon State Beavers. It 
is one of seven counties nationwide to be named for a U.S. Senator, 
Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri--a longtime advocate of the development 
of Oregon country. Benton County stands to lose 15 percent of its 
general discretionary budget, including $285,000 from its road 
department.
  Clackamas County, home of Mount Hood and the historic Timberline 
Lodge that President Roosevelt dedicated. Between 1984 and 2001, timber 
harvest fell on the Mount Hood National Forest by 97 percent.
  Clackamas County stands to lose $10 million per year without an 
extension of the safety net.
  In 2004, the Clackamas County Road Department alone received over $4 
million from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination 
Act. If the Clackamas County Road Department had to rely on actual 
timber receipt revenue, they would have received $333,128 from U.S. 
Forest Service lands, a 92-percent reduction in these Federal funds.
  Clackamas County schools will receive $1.5 million a year from the 
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. That goes 
away.
  Columbia County: In 2004, their discretionary general fund received 
over $2 million from the safety net. This represents 31 percent of 
Columbia County's discretionary general fund.
  Coos County used to be home to the world's largest lumber-exporting 
port. Coos County has not only been hard hit by Federal timber 
policies, but by the collapse of federally managed fisheries.
  The safety net provides nearly $8 million a year to Coos County--more 
than twice what the county can collect in property taxes. Without the 
safety net, 45 percent of its road and general fund will vanish.
  County officials expect to lay off a third of their road crew. 
Nineteen employees at the Coos County Sheriff's Department have already 
received their pink slips telling them not to show up for work on 
February 27. These workers included corrections officers, two patrol 
deputies, a 911 dispatcher, and two animal control officers. Additional 
cuts will be made from the district attorney's office, juvenile court 
counselors, and the public health department.
  I should note that these types of services are constitutionally 
required for counties to provide.
  Crook County: Home of the Ochoco National Forest, where timber 
harvest fell 98 percent between 1991 and 2006. If the safety net is not 
extended, Crook County stands to lose 28 percent of its general 
discretionary budget. Its roads and its schools are in great jeopardy.
  In 2004, the Crook County Road Department received over $2 million 
from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. If 
the Crook County Road Department had to rely on actual timber receipt 
revenue, they would have received $33,160 from U.S. Forest Service 
lands--a 99-percent reduction in Federal funds.
  In 2004, the Crook County School District received $746,535 from the 
safety net.
  Curry County lies in the far southwest corner of Oregon.
  Cape Blanco in Curry County stretches out in the Pacific Ocean to 
form the most western point in the lower 48.
  You ought to see how beautiful it is there, Mr. President.
  It shares with Josephine County the Siskiyou National Forest, the 
site of the 2002 Biscuit Fire--the largest in Oregon history. Between 
1989 and the year of that colossal wildfire, timber harvest on the 
Siskiyou National Forest dropped 99.5 percent.
  As such, Curry County stands to lose 62 percent of its general 
discretionary fund. This translates into the loss of seven sheriff's 
deputies, two county assessors, cutbacks in juvenile services, and loss 
of a deputy district attorney.
  The county sheriff's office presently takes about 52 percent of the 
county's ``safety net'' dollars, which means that if they had 
reductions to cover the amount of their percentage, it would lose all 
of its patrol deputies, two sergeants, its only lieutenant, and two 
jailors.
  The Curry County Road Department will lose 75 percent of its entire 
budget.
  The Brookings-Harbor School District is going to lose $700,000 from 
the safety net. Curry County is one of those places so dominated by 
Federal land that new tax revenue from property development is simply 
impossible. Only 3 percent of the land base is developable.
  Deschutes County is a high desert paradise with snow-capped 
mountains, rugged mountain bike trails, swift whitewater, and the 
Sisters Rodeo, the ``Biggest Little Show in the World.'' Timber harvest 
in the Deschutes National Forest fell 83 percent between 1985 and 1999. 
Large forest fires continue to mar the landscape there, causing 
evacuations of local communities nearly every summer. We don't manage 
it. We just burn it now. They are going to lose huge amounts of their 
county budgets: from the road department, a 79-percent reduction; from 
the Bend/LaPine School District, they will lose $651,000 from the 
safety net.
  Then Douglas County, timber capital of the world and home to Johnny 
Cash's ``Lumberjack.'' Given the wood-basket of Douglas Fir, many 
believe this county was named after the silviculturist David Douglas. 
But Douglas County was actually named for Stephen Douglas, Abraham 
Lincoln's opponent in the 1860 Presidential election. Douglas was an 
ardent congressional supporter for Oregon's entry into the Union. 
Timber harvest on their forest, the Umpqua National Forest, fell 99 
percent between 1984 and 2004. In 2004, Douglas County's discretionary 
general fund received over $26 million from the safety net. This 
represents 78 percent of Douglas County's discretionary general fund. 
The Douglas County Road Department received over $13 million from the 
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. If the 
Douglas County Road Department had to rely on actual timber receipts, 
they would have received $791,000, a-94 percent loss of Federal 
revenue.
  The Roseburg School District 4 received a $1.8 million from the 
safety net in 2004. That goes away.
  Grant County, home of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and 
the Malheur National Forest, timber harvest on that dropped 98 percent. 
More than 60 percent of Grant County is owned by the public, and their 
discretionary fund is going to drop a whopping amount as well. They 
will lose millions in road and school funding. Two of its three county 
patrol officers will be eliminated. Sixty-two percent of the land in 
John Day School District is federally owned, so the district was 
heavily dependent on Federal forest fees. As a result, in 1998, the 
district went to a 4-day school week. We always talk about No Child 
Left Behind. We are going to leave a lot of Oregon kids behind if we 
don't keep this bargain.
  Harney County, home of Steens Mountain, part of the county's 77 
percent public ownership. You ought to see Steens Mountain, be down on 
the Alvord flat, a salt flat, and see the sun come up in the morning 
and hit those

[[Page S1877]]

mountains and turn them pink. It is astonishingly beautiful. They are 
going to get hammered. Their road department is going to lose 70 
percent of its funding. Their school district will lose nearly 
$700,000.
  Hood River County, home of pear orchards, wind surfing, and skiing. 
In fact, John Kerry still goes there a lot to wind surf, wind surfing 
capital of the world. Hood River County stands to lose 32 percent of 
its discretionary funds without the safety net. The road department 
loses over a million, and their school district will lose half a 
million and more.
  Jackson County, home of the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, dominated 
by the BLM's O&C lands. Jackson County faces a $20 million shortfall 
without a county payments extension, 33 percent of its road and general 
budget. Jackson County is on the verge of closing all 15 of its public 
libraries, if the safety net is not extended. The county also plans to 
lay off 30 positions in health and human services and reduce the number 
of jail beds. In 2004, the Jackson County Road Department received over 
$3.8 million from county payments. If they had to rely on actual timber 
harvests, they would have received a 97-percent reduction in Federal 
funds.
  Jefferson County, home of Mount Jefferson--that is a pretty place--
Black Butte, Warm Springs Indian Reservation, 300 days of sunshine a 
year. In 2004, the Jefferson County Road Department received $445,000 
from the county payments. If the Jefferson County Road Department had 
to rely on actual timber receipts, they would have received $89,000 
from the U.S. Forest Service.
  Josephine County, the home of Oregon Caves National Monument and the 
Rogue River, 62 percent of Josephine County is publicly owned. They are 
going to lose 79 percent of their county's general discretionary funds.
  Klamath County, home of Crater Lake, the deepest lake in North 
America and Oregon's first national park. Klamath County is also the 
home of the devastating shutoff of irrigation water by Federal agencies 
in 2001. In 2004, Klamath County's discretionary general fund received 
over $3 million from the safety net. This represents nearly 30 percent 
of their general discretionary budget.
  Lake County, home of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge--78 
percent of that county is owned by the Federal Government. Lake County 
stands to lose 50 percent of its discretionary general funds--again, 
roads and schools.
  Lane County was named for the great Joseph Lane, first territorial 
Governor, first U.S. Senator from Oregon. Lane County is one of the 
largest recipients of safety net dollars, and for good reason. This was 
the epicenter of the spotted owl controversy, and timber harvest was 
cut back there more than anywhere else in the Nation.
  Mr. President, I don't want to abuse your time. I am trying to make a 
point here. You can probably tell that. I speak more out of sorrow than 
anger, but I am angry, too. It is a tragedy. Both parties are guilty in 
the mutation from the Federal Government becoming Oregon's protagonist 
to its antagonist. I was going to tell you more about Lane County and 
Linn County, named for U.S. Senator James Linn of Missouri--another 
Missouri Senator has an Oregon County named for him.
  I was going to tell you about Lincoln County, home of Depoe Bay, the 
whale-watching capital of the world. They will get hammered, too.
  Marion County, home of the State capitol, the largest producer of 
agricultural products in Oregon. The Marion berry--you have probably 
heard of that--is delicious.
  Morrow County; Polk County named for James K. Polk, one of our unsung 
great Presidents.
  Tillamook County--you probably heard of Tillamook cheese. It is 
fabulous. Their county is in real peril because 64 percent of Tillamook 
County is publicly owned, and nearly 20 percent of its total 
discretionary budget is at risk
  Union County, land of the Grand Ronde Valley, is near my home. This 
county is right in the middle of Federal forest lands. They will suffer 
a 55-percent reduction in Federal funds.
  Wallowa County is a little Switzerland. It is one of the loveliest 
places on Earth. It is where Oregon joins the Rocky Mountains. Their 
county stands to lose a tremendous percentage of their ability to 
continue.
  Yamhill County. If you like Oregon pinot noirs--I don't drink them, 
but a lot of people like Oregon pinot noirs--they come from Yamhill 
County. They are in trouble. And they are in trouble. Wheeler County.

  Mr. President, I have talked enough, and you have been indulgent of 
me. I promised the majority leader I would take only the time he wanted 
me to speak. But the Federal Government owns my State--more than half 
of it. It incentivized the development of Oregon's resources. It laid 
down the terms for the development of timber in Oregon. It built my 
State. I will bet it even helped build some of the homes in which you 
live.
  But the environmental ethic changed. Whatever side you come down on, 
in the middle of that contest are people and counties and governmental 
services that need to be continued until the Federal Government can 
figure out the right balance in the economic/environmental equation.
  I have been down here talking a long time. I have to look for every 
opportunity to keep talking because I need to awaken my colleagues to 
the Federal obligation that exists to real people with real concerns 
and with a real claim on the Federal Government. As we look for 
offsets, let me simply say that we are out of time.
  The real offset ought to be the honor of the Federal Government. It 
ought to meet this obligation until it can resolve this dispute. 
President Clinton tried, President Bush has tried, but the Congress and 
the courts have been in the way. In the meantime, my colleague and I 
need the Federal Government to get out of the way and continue to help 
us, instead of hurting the people whom it grew Oregon to bless.
  I yield the floor.

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