Contributed by: Gil Riddell, AOC Policy Director
May 9, 2016
After a week’s recess, Congress has returned to the Hill to resume its work during election season. Of great importance to AOC and counties in other western states is that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee can now focus its attention on a federal forest management reform bill. The committee has been expected to release a white paper describing the framework of the bill, but the anticipated date of release has continued to slip into the future.
AOC, through its Forest Management Subcommittee, has offered ideas to the committee that Oregon counties highly recommend for inclusion in reforms. Jay Sullivan, who represents AOC in D.C., reports that the language of the bill will be constrained and likely delayed due to the upcoming election. As a consequence, a diverse group of Senators are once again pushing for Secure Rural Schools/safety net payments to bridge the gap. An educated guess is that the amount of revenues appropriated to counties and schools will be less than last year, and that its passage could occur as late as the lame-duck session.
The AOC Forest Management Subcommittee will continue to be directly engaged in developments in management reform and safety net relief.