GUEST VIEWPOINT: It’s time for Congress to end bailouts for O&C counties

BY JERRY RUST

Published: November 24, 2012 12:00AM,Midnight, Nov. 24

Counties that are home to timberlands that once belonged to the Oregon & California Railroad don’t deserve another extra dime from Congress to make up for spotted-owl-related revenue losses. Also, it’s time to reconsider the payment formula to these counties. Here’s why.

The O&C lands comprise 2.4 million acres of midelevation Bureau of Land Management multiple use forestlands located in a checkerboard pattern in 18 Western Oregon counties. Since the O&C Act of 1937, the counties have been partners with the federal government, sharing revenues from tree harvests on these lands. Under the act, counties receive 50 percent of gross revenues, and the BLM bears all management costs within its share of gross. Counties receive these revenues based on the percentage of O&C acreage located within a given county. Historically, revenues have fluctuated, but in recent years amounted to $100 million annually.

When the Endangered Species Act virtually shut down harvesting on federal forestlands, the O&C counties looked to Congress for a bailout, citing “timber dependency.” Congress, prodded by the Oregon delegation, sent about $1 billion to the 18 counties from 2000 through 2012.

Though 18 counties share the revenues, the reality is that only four counties receive over two thirds of the money. Douglas County alone received over $250 million of the billion-dollar bailout.

With each appropriation came a congressional warning: These appropriations will end. Plan accordingly. Make the transition away from “timber dependency.”

Unfortunately, Congress’ largesse unwittingly had the opposite effect, at least for the four counties that got the lion’s share of the money. Counties still hold out for more bailouts. Counties still have not done the requested budgetary planning and preparation. The counties still self-identify as “timber dependent.”

And they still want more money. The O&C counties want to speed up logging on these federal lands to gain more revenue.

A bill introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden would remove 1.5 million acres from the O&C lands and speed up logging while diminishing environmental standards. Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed a committee to make legislative recommendations to accomplish the same. Both of these efforts would do significant harm to Oregon’s fish, wildlife, biodiversity, air and water.

Why? To satisfy the insatiable appetite for revenue for a handful of Oregon counties that willfully refuse to face reality.

Congress should cut the counties off cold turkey. Congressmen and the governor should stop pandering to and coddling the counties. It only makes things worse. Furthermore, the O&C payment formula should be changed to one based more on population and less on BLM acreage within a county.

Finally, Oregon politicians at the local, state and federal level need to understand that our federal forests are in recovery from decades of overcutting. Professional BLM foresters should be allowed to manage the BLM forests according to the forest plan, within federal law. The O&C revenue train is slow but steady. These multiple use lands will continue to provide revenues to Oregon counties, just not at the level the counties have gotten used to.

It’s time for counties to get over the spotted owl and get on with balancing budgets without federal bailouts.

Jerry Rust represented south Eugene on the Lane County Board of Commissioners from 1977 to 1997,