[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             MORROW COUNTY ROADS AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC LANDS

  (Mr. WALDEN of Oregon asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, the failure of Congress to 
reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination 
Act is a breach of faith to more than 600 forested counties and 4,400 
school districts across our great country.
  There are more than 400 miles of paved road in Morrow County, Oregon, 
where every county road leads to a national forest. Loss of this 
program and funds means no portion of any paved road will be replaced 
and basic maintenance will stop. One of the most expensive roads for 
the county to maintain runs through the Umatilla National Forest and is 
a designated scenic byway.
  Without county payments, people won't be able to safely access their 
public lands, and the hope of a new outdoor recreation economy to 
replace the lost timber jobs goes unfulfilled.
  County Public Works Director Burke O'Brien says: ``We are not the 
ones who stopped our sustainable Federal timber harvest. However, now 
we are being forced to lose even the funds promised to replace the lost 
forest revenues.''
  My colleagues, Congress must keep the Federal Government's word and 
its promise to the timbered communities. It is time to get a hearing 
and a markup and to pass H.R. 17. Time is running out for forested 
timber communities.

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