Supporting Rural Schools & Roads

Supporting Rural Schools & Roads. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

There is a problem in some states like Washington when it comes to making sure rural counties get the funding they need and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell called for extending essential programs for Washington state’s rural schools and roads. 

CANTWELL: So the National Forests are key features across our state. With its 5 National Forests and the Mount St. Helens volcanic monument, the Forest Service manages nearly 9.3 million acres, or 21.7 percent of our entire state. Because over one-fifth of the state is excluded from the tax base as Forest Service land, it becomes clear that County Payments are not only essential to counties but also an obligation of the federal government. 

Cantwell says that the federal government’s obligation extends beyond just the loss of tax base due to non-taxable federal lands.

CANTWELL: These lands also impose real cost on the counties. They include maintenance on roads, providing access, planning for and managing forest fires, and providing emergency services such as search-and-rescue operations. The federal government is obligated to compensate all of these costs that many of our rural communities could not otherwise afford. 

During the hearing, Cantwell backed an extension of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) programs, while also making them simpler, more transparent, and more responsive to the needs of rural communities.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.