Craig Bill Would Keep Up Timber Payments

U.S. Sen. Larry Craig intends to introduce legislation to ensure that payments from federal timber receipts continue to reach counties.

The bill would allow the U.S. Forest Service to use money generated from all revenue sources, including timber sales, to make the payments, Craig said Wednesday during a town hall meeting.

He said he will introduce the measure next week with Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Counties near national forests now get a 25 percent share of the gross receipts from timber sales for roads and schools.

But timber sales have declined and cut revenues to counties, and the Clinton administration has proposed severing the link between federal timber harvests and payments to counties.

“This is an administration that thinks it’s a sin to cut a tree,” Craig told about 30 people at the town hall meeting.