Wyden pledges to renew, expand federal subsidies to timber counties
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Sen. Ron Wyden is pledging to renew and expand the federal subsidies to timber counties known as Secure Rural Schools and Communities.
The Oregon Democrat says that for the next year or two, he wants to renew the payments that brought $105 million to Oregon in 2012.
And as a permanent solution, he wants to go beyond timber country and extend similar payments to rural counties with federal lands and waters being tapped for mining and energy.
Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare, for one, is not happy with the idea.
He says Wyden's pledge to renew the payments makes it likely voters will turn down a tax increase to restore deep cuts to law enforcement. Hare adds he would rather Congress focus on producing more timber from federal lands.
Voters in Lane County will decide a 5-year levy in May to fund the jail. The measure would make up in part for lost timber revenues and timber county payments.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
Wyden? You mean the guy who is too good to even live in the state he represents? STFU Wyden. Just STFU.
@OregonOrator ---the Canucks use their national/federal taxes to subsidize their timber industries so we cannot compete inter/nationally with them.Â
Do you use the profanity against him because he is a liberal or a Jew? Are you some foul neo-nazi to use the STFU against our fellow man?
His residence is in Oregon, his family is in the geodactic center of the USA. He has logged so many air miles that he has not the time to live anywhere but on an airplane.
He was also the only Senator to visit Fukushima and seriously confront the issue of 3 nuke meltdowns wafting OUR way, whilst the rest of you gun nutz and nuke nutz of the far right would let the world burn, just so long as you all get rich cussing at your liberal opponents.
@peace Get your facts right before posting. Wyden spends far more time in NY than he does in Oregon. I don't give a rats ass about air miles. His kids don't go to school here, his wife doesn't work here and he doesn't have a full time job here either. He has zero vested interest in Oregon. He shouldn't be passing legislation for a state he has no vested interest in.
And because your posts make about as much sense as voting for Obama, I'm done responding to you.
@OregonOrator ---with your Nazi  brand of defamation and foul language, that works in my favor, Thanks! Please keep your promise.
The odds of Senator Wyden (who comes up for re-election in 2014) being able to get the House and the Senate to extend this Clinton-era payment plan is so slim-to-none as to be laughable.Â
He calls them payments. It is basically welfare. Don't harvest your trees and we will give you money. Sounded good when the deal was made. And now that the deal has expired these communities don't have their most natural revenue. Shouldn't have made a deal with the devil.