Final allocations under the extended Act that has contributed to schools and road improvement in rural communities WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2012 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that more than $307 million is being distributed to 41 states and Puerto Rico for public schools and roads and specific county programs.
"The annual revenue sharing payments are part of the Department of Agriculture's long-standing commitment to rural communities, schools and American youth," said Vilsack. "Our century-long support of America's public schools and roads is one of many ways in which the Forest Service, as a good neighbor and partner, contributes to rural communities becoming self-sustaining and prosperous." Since 1908, 25 percent of Forest Service revenues from timber sales, mineral leases, recreation, grazing and other sources have been shared with states and counties in which national forest lands are located.
In the 1980s, Forest Service revenues began to decline, largely as a result of changes in social values and diminished timber sales volume. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 authorized enhanced and gradually declining payments to ease the transition to reduced federal revenues. Counties received more than $2.5 billion over seven years until the Act expired in September 2007.
In 2008, the Congress extended the program four more years, through 2011. Today's distribution marks final payments under the extended Act. The four years of payments will total $1.5 billion of support to rural schools and roads and $87 million paid to counties for wildfire preparedness and to reimburse counties for emergency services provided on national forests.
In addition to payments for schools and roads, the Secure Rural Schools Act supports Firewise Communities programs, reimburses counties for emergency services on national forests and funds development of community wildfire protection plans.
"These projects were reviewed and recommended by resource advisory committees made up of local residents working together to improve the environment and help provide jobs in rural communities," Vilsack said.
Since 2008, across the country, 118 resource advisory committees recommended 4,100 projects valued at more than $172 million in more than 300 counties. More information on the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is on the web at www.fs.usda.gov/pts 2011 Forest Service Payments to States Alabama $1,901,060 Alaska $15,551,811 Arizona $13,289,827 Arkansas $7,153,250 California $39,325,918 Colorado $13,955,904 Florida $2,424,878 Georgia $1,534,435 Idaho $27,404,336 Illinois $92,150 Indiana $282,223 Kentucky $1,862,267 Louisiana $1,716,772 Maine $76,634 Michigan $3,790,134 Minnesota $8,775,741 Mississippi $6,147,508 Missouri $3,438,634 Montana $20,486,737 Nebraska $248,916 Nevada $4,534,786 New Hampshire $563,763 New Mexico $11,823,591 New York $22,734 North Carolina $1,897,848 North Dakota $589 Ohio $277,619 Oklahoma $983,612 Oregon $64,259,824 Pennsylvania $3,451,714 Puerto Rico $159,100 South Carolina $1,868,282 South Dakota $1,834,152 Tennessee $1,267,614 Texas $2,261,484 Utah $11,141,393 Vermont $339,626 Virginia $1,731,853 Washington $21,298,322 West Virginia $1,863,052 Wisconsin $2,112,581 Wyoming $4,469,293 Total $307,621,969 The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Recreational activities on our lands contribute $14.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.
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Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
