$425 million for timber counties retained in bill funding Iraq war

WASHINGTON — Congress approved $425 million in emergency spending for a one-year extension of payments to rural counties hurt by cutbacks in federal logging.

The plan, approved 348-73 by the House and 80-14 by the Senate on Thursday, would provide payments through September to more than 700 timber counties in 39 states, mostly in the West and South.

The bill, part of a measure to pay for the war in Iraq, also includes $465 million to fight wildfires and $60 million for West Coast salmon fishermen.

But it does not include a Senate-approved plan to spend nearly $5 billion to continue the payments law through 2011 and reimburse state and local governments for federally owned property.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was the only Northwest senator to oppose the bill. He was the chief sponsor of the five-year provision and has vowed to try to revive it later this year.

Lawmakers were divided over the reason for that omission. Senators blamed the Bush administration and House Democratic leaders, while House Democrats said Senate leaders lost their nerve in negotiations with the White House.

Still, most Western lawmakers said they were pleased to salvage at least a one-year extension, noting that some schools and counties in the rural West and South have begun layoffs in anticipation of a funding cutoff.

"I wish we could have prevailed on the five-year extension, but we need a tourniquet to stop the bleeding while we continue to push for longer-term funding," said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., who led House efforts to secure the timber money.

"This emergency funding will help stave off some of the layoffs and cuts in critical services like law enforcement and health care, and prevent the state [of Oregon] from having to take over those essential services while we work on a longer-term solution."

But GOP Rep. John Doolittle, who represents a heavily rural district in Northern California, said he was disappointed that the fix was just for one year. He blamed House Democratic leaders.

"The disappointment occurred in the House, and the House is, of course, controlled by the Democrats, and they just chose not to make it a priority," he said.

Doolittle also blasted critics — including some in his party — who called the spending for rural schools and counties unnecessary.

"This is something that is clearly owed to the counties affected. It is not pork. And for that reason I felt very strongly that it should have been addressed now rather than later," he said.