Continuing his efforts to support Oregon’s rural forested communities, Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) secured two years of full Secure Rural Schools funding in the government funding measure signed into law recently. Walden gathered a meeting of Oregon county commissioners Wednesday, March 28, in Pendleton to discuss the importance of these resources for county services.

As chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Walden authorized the sale of a portion of the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve to pay for the extension of these vital funds for eastern Oregon counties.

Secure Rural Schools funding helps provide resources for essential local services like schools, roads, and law enforcement in Oregon’s rural forested communities, which is a priority for Walden. Importantly, Walden secured a fix for the Secure Rural Schools program to allow local sheriff departments to use the funds for emergency and rescue equipment and training. Walden has heard from local officials across Oregon about the importance of these funds to their communities.

Under the government funding measure, Secure Rural Schools (SRS) is reauthorized for two years, Fiscal Year 2017 and Fiscal Year 2018. The total Fiscal Year 2017 payment for Oregon from SRS will be $56 million and is in addition to $27 million already paid in timber receipts. The Fiscal Year 2018 SRS payment for Oregon will be about $80 million. The government funding measure also includes $530 million in full funding for PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes). The Fiscal Year 2017 breakdown for all titles of SRS and the estimated 2018 breakdown for PILT in Harney County is:

Estimated SRS Payment for FY17 — $1,304,233

Estimated PILT Payment for 2018 — $1,102,628

Walden also helped secure additional reforms to forest management, including:

• 3,000 acre categorical exclusion for wildfire resiliency and hazardous fuels reduction projects.

• 10-year fire borrowing fix, to help end the vicious cycle of depleting resources for fire prevention to pay for fire suppression, which increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires year after year.

• Expands Healthy Forest Restoration Act authority for fuel and fire break projects.

• Gives the Forest Service and BLM the ability to offer stewardship contracts with a 20-year term.

• Expands “Good Neighbor Policy” to help states with road maintenance, culverts, and other similar projects on Forest Service land.