December 16, 2004

Boise State Research Center Releases National Study on Federal Law That Stabilizes Timber Receipt Payments

A national study issued today by Boise State University provides lawmakers and public officials with the first-ever in-depth analysis of a federal law that stabilizes receipts from timber and other revenue-generating activities allocated to counties for roads and education.   The Environmental Science and Public Policy Research Institute (ESPRI) at Boise State released the report on the 2000 Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act following a nine-month study. The study concludes that for the most part, the three purposes of the act are being addressed and effectively implemented nationwide. It also includes a number of areas of concern that warrant further study.   “This study should be of significant national interest, especially in light of the fact that this act will expire after fiscal October 2006 unless Congress takes action to re-authorize it,” said ESPRI associate director Sarah Bigger.   The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., establishes an optional program for counties to receive annual timber, mining, and grazing receipts based on multi-year averages, rather than on a single year’s revenues. The act addresses concerns that decreasing logging on public lands negatively impacts counties that rely on their share of revenues from timber sales to fund roads and education.   The act also calls for additional investments and employment opportunities on or adjacent to federal lands, and establishes citizen Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) to recommend those projects. A third provision of the act calls for improved cooperative relations among people who use and care for federal lands, including RAC members, county officials and Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management personnel.   Sen. Craig said he was pleased to see people on opposite sides of the political spectrum now working together on federal forestry issues, as a result of the Craig/Wyden legislation. “The ESPRI report documents that new cooperation and provides a solid foundation from which to start the re-authorization discussions,” Craig said.   The 90-page report and 23-page supplement were prepared by Boise State research professor Brett more- Ingles. The package includes the results of nationwide surveys, interviews with RAC members and other officials, and visits to U.S. National Forest sites The report doesn’t include data on Bureau of Land Management advisory groups.   According to the report, 615 of 717 eligible counties, or 86 percent, participated in the act as of fiscal 2003 and received $389 million in revenues. The vast majority of eligible counties received more money under the act than they would under the traditional system.   In addition, the study notes that at least 1,168 improvement projects have been recommended by RACs for National Forest or adjacent lands and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, and about $88 million has been set aside to be used for those projects during the act’s first two years. The projects include watershed restoration, noxious weed eradication, trail and road maintenance and fish habitat improvement.    Interviews and surveys with individuals involved with the citizen groups suggest very strong  support for renewal of the act beyond fiscal 2006, according to the report.   The study lists a number of concerns with the act, including the time lag to appoint new RAC members, quorum rules for the citizens groups for voting on new projects and issues with categorizing projects in light of the requirement that 50 percent of the projects be designated for watersheds or roads.   According to Ingles, the study stops short of making the specific recommendation that the act be renewed. But the report concludes that “the vast majority of data presented suggests that the act is having a positive effect on both public lands resources and the relationships created by the individuals who use and care for federal lands.”   The report released today is the first national-scope report issued by ESPRI, which was established at Boise State in 2003. ESPRI  serves as an independent and objective resource to aid informed public development and decision making through the utilization of science, technology and public policy analysis. ESPRI’s researchers include Boise state professors in geosciences, anthropology, economics, public policy, civil engineering and other fields.     -30-   Contact: Brent Ingles, ESPRI, (208) 426-2844, bingles@boisestate.edu                                                              Media Contact: Janelle Brown, communications and marketing, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu   Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu.   Copies of the report are available: Contact Janelle at 426-1790.