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Resolution No. 05-148
RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TO INCLUDE FUNDING FOR FEDERAL SAFETY NET PAYMENTS
(HR 517 ANDS 267) IN THE 2006-07 FEDERAL BUDGET
WHEREAS, America's National Forest System was formed in 1905 from 153 million acres
of forestlands and removed from future settlement and economic development, imposing hardships
on counties in and adjacent to the new reserves; and
WHEREAS, national forest system lands has grown to 191 million acres, leaving
significantly less land for economic development and diminishing the potential tax base to support
essential community infrastructure such as roads and schools; and
WHEREAS, in 1908, responding to criticism and controversy over the reserves, Congress
created a revenue sharing mechanism which has become known as a "Compact with the People of
Rural Counties" to support public roads and schools and offset for forest counties the effects of
removing these lands from economic development; and
WHERAS, in establishing America's National Forests, Congress intended that they would
be managed in a sustained multiple-use manner in perpetuity, and that they would provide revenues
for local counties and the federal treasury in perpetuity as well; and
WHEREAS, from 1908 until about 1986, the revenue sharing mechanism worked well and
the compact with the people of rural counties was honored and fulfilled; however, from 1986 to the
present, for a variety of reasons, sustained active multiple-use management of the National Forests
and revenues have declined precipitously; and
WHEREAS, most counties have seen a decline of more than 85% in actual revenues
generated on our National Forests, leading to extreme economic, social and infrastructure
displacement for citizens of those forest counties in general, and Butte County in particular; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, in recognition of its obligation to honor the historic compact with
people of rural counties, Congress passed PL 106-393 to address the needs of America's forest
counties and to create a new cooperative partnership between forest counties and federal land
management agencies to develop forest health improvement projects on public lands and
simultaneously stimulate job development and community economic stability; and
WHEREAS, PL 106-393 honored the compact between the people of rural America and the
federal government and has been successful in restoring stability for rural schools, allowing county
road departments to address the severe maintenance backlog resulting from decimated road budgets
between 1986 and 1999; and
WHEREAS, PL 106-393 has promoted community collaboration by enlisting the
participation of diverse stakeholders into Resource Advisory Committees which have successfully
approved hundreds of projects on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management forestlands and
adjacent public and private lands during the last five years; and
WHEREAS, those projects have included fuels reduction, habitat improvement, watershed
restoration, road maintenance and rehabilitation, reforestation, campground and trail improvement,
and noxious weed eradication, work that was necessary but otherwise unfunded in the budgets of the
federal agencies; and
WHEREAS, Title III projects authorized by PL 106-393 have mitigated the rising cost of
search and rescue missions on federal lands, offset the cost of developing and implementing
community wildfire protection plans in concert with the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, and
contributed to an enhanced capacity to provide for the public safety on federal lands,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that in order to perpetuate the positive and
substantial legacy of PL 106-393, the President of the United States should include funding for the
reauthorization and continuation of the act in the 2006 - 2007 federal budget, so that the compact
with the people will continue to benefit forest counties, their schools, and contribute to improving the
health of our National Forests.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Butte County Board of Supervisors this 13`x' day of
December2005 by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Connelly, Dolan, Houx, Josiassen and Chair Yamaguchi
NOES: None
ABSENT: None - ~
i.
NOT VOTING: None - ''~
KIM K. YAMAGUCHI, Chair
Board of Supervisors
ATTEST:
PAUL MCINTOSH, Chief Administrative Officer
And Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Deputy „