[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 10198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               COUNTY PAYMENTS: HOOD RIVER COUNTY, OREGON

  (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, by refusing to renew the county 
payments program, Congress has broken its promise to rural, timbered 
America.
  I've told you in the past about Harney County, a county that has 78 
percent of its land mass, the size of New Jersey, all Federally 
controlled, 70 percent of its road budget affected by this law that has 
not been reauthorized.
  Let me tell you today about Hood River County, where Congress' 
failure to act to renew the county timber payments program has forced 
this county to develop multiple county budgets because we don't know 
what's going to happen in my home county. One thing is for sure, 
though, the county annually uses up to $130,000 of Federal forest 
payments to fund search and rescue operations in the Mount Hood 
National Forest and Mount Hood itself. You see, Hood River County is 
responsible for most of the search and rescue operations on that great 
mountain, and now those costs will be borne by the county because the 
Federal Government is shirking its responsibility.
  That could change. We could pass H.R. 3058, a bill to reauthorize 
county timber payments. It has been on the Union Calendar for 127 days, 
held hostage by this leadership. The Democratic leadership refuses to 
bring it up for a vote.
  Make good on the Federal promise. Let us vote on H.R. 3058.

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