[PCA] Forest Land Sales to Support Rural Schools - Public comment period ends March 30

Wed Mar 29 12:36:32 CST 2006

Here is some additional info from the Sierra Club:

http://www.sierraclub.org/forests/notforsale/

Rich Owings, Executive Director
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
18220 North Highway One
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
707.964.4352 x 11
707.964.3114 fax
www.gardenbythesea.org

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov 
  To: native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org ; mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 8:43 AM
  Subject: [PCA] Forest Land Sales to Support Rural Schools - Public comment period ends March 30

  Pardon the cross-postings. 

  Public comment is being sought for a proposal from the US Forest Service to sell parcels of land in order to pay for rural schools.  I had a hard time finding the actual federal register notice.  I'm sure there is a lot more to this issue than what I've provided but this is a start. 

    a.. A copy of the FR notice 
    b.. An article from the Charleston Gazette
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  Comment Period Open for Proposed Sale of National Forest Land
  Secure Rural Schools Land Sales Initiative 

  http://yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_32355.shtml By: USDA
        Published: Mar 2, 2006 at 15:17  

  The Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the list of National Forest System land parcels in the FY 2007 President's Budget proposal to be sold for the purpose of funding payments to Secure Rural Schools (SRS), should this program be extended by amendment to the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The sale of these parcels is contingent upon amendment of the SRS as proposed by the President.

  DATES 

  You should submit your comments by March 30, 2006 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered only to the extent practicable.

  ADDRESSES

  You may submit your comments by e-mail to SRS_Land_Sales at fs.fed.us, by facsimile to (202) 205-1604, or by mail to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC 20250-0003. Electronic submission is preferred. If you submit your comments by e-mail or fax, you do not need to send a paper copy by mail.

  Your comments may address the entire list of parcels identified in the President's proposal, or an individual parcel or parcels on that list. If you are commenting about a specific parcel on the list, it would be helpful to provide the parcel's number from the list and all information specifically related to the sale of that parcel.

  Document and Comment Availability: In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register, the Forest Service provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document, the potentially eligible lands listing, and associated maps via the Internet. Information on this proposal and the Federal Register Notice can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us via the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act link to the "President's FY 2007 Budget Proposal for the Forest Service--Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act Extension" page.

  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 

  Cynthia R. Swanson, Assistant Director of Lands, Washington Office, 202-205-0099. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

  SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

  The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (the Act) (Pub. L. 106-393) was enacted to provide transitional assistance to rural counties that had been affected by the decline in revenue from timber harvests on Federal lands. These counties traditionally relied on a share of receipts from timber harvests to fund their school systems and roads. The Act stabilized payments that are critically important to more than 4,400 rural schools and addressed many severe maintenance backlogs for county roads. Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) established under the Act have developed and proposed forest health improvement projects.

  The President's fiscal year 2007 Budget for the Forest Service proposes legislation to amend the Secure Rural Schools Act. The legislation would provide a source of funding for payments under the Secure Rural Schools Act by authorizing the sale of a limited number of National Forest System lands. These parcels generally meet criteria traditionally used by the Forest Service to identify lands suitable for sale or exchange. Many of these parcels are isolated from other contiguous National Forest System lands, and because of their location, size, or configuration are not efficient to manage as a component of the National Forest System.

  The Forest Service manages about 193 million acres in 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands located in 43 States across the nation. The limited number of parcels included within this proposal constitutes less than 0.2 of 1% of the National Forest System land base. A total of 304,370 acres and approximately 3,000 individual tracts have been identified on 120 national forests, 10 national grasslands, within 35 States.

  Lands located within the boundaries of any component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, National Wild and Scenic River System, National Trail System, National Recreation Area, National Monument, National Historic Site, National Preserve, or specially designated areas such as Research Natural Areas and experimental forests and ranges are not eligible for conveyance.

  Many of the identified parcels have not been inventoried for natural or cultural resources specific to this proposal. However, they generally meet criteria traditionally used by the Forest Service to identify parcels for potential sale or exchange. Examples of primary benefits of disposal will include: 

  (1) Reduction in agency costs associated with encroachments and boundary management; 
  (2) enhancement of local economies through private sector development; and 
  (3) increased opportunities for acquisition by local governmental entities for low income housing, parks, fire stations, water and wastewater systems, and for other community and public purposes.

  The proposed sale of these parcels is contingent upon the enactment of legislation by Congress to provide revenue for the authorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393). 

  The Forest Service does not have general, non-specific, authority to sell National Forest System lands. 

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  Charleston Gazette-Mail 
  February 11, 2006 

  Monongahela Forest for sale? 

  About 5,000 acres are in federal bull’s-eye to fund the Secure Rural Schools Act 

  By Rick Steelhammer 
  Staff writer 

  The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to sell more than 250,000 acres of national forest land, including 4,836 acres in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, to pay for reauthorizing a law that provides extra funding for schools and roads in counties in which national forests are located. 

  Since 1908, 25 percent of revenues from Forest Service timber sales, grazing fees and mineral leases have been returned to counties encompassing national forest property. 

  Because the payments — designed to offset the loss of school and road revenue from property taxes due to government land ownership — fluctuated over time, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools Act in 2000 to stabilize payments as timber harvest receipts decreased. 

  The proposed sell-off of national forest land apparently is designed to continue the Secure Rural Schools Act beyond 2006. According to the Forest Service, the Bush administration’s fiscal 2007 budget would permit the Secure Rural Schools Act payments to continue, with one key modification: They would be financed through the sale of national forest property. 

  On Friday, the Forest Service posted on its Web site (www.fs.fed.us) the properties being considered for sale. Among properties on the list were the nearly 5,000 acres of Monongahela National Forest land, including 1,649 acres in Randolph County, 1,171 in Tucker County, 1,376 in Pendleton County and 458 acres in Pocahontas County. 

  According to a Forest Service news release, a notice will be published in the Federal Register at the end of February requesting public comments. At that time, detailed maps of the tracts being proposed will be available. 

  “This proposed land sale could have irreversible consequences for West Virginia, leaving us with far fewer acres to hunt, fish and enjoy nature,” said Rep. Nick J. Rahall, in response to the Forest Service announcement. 

  Rahall said timber-sale receipts and funds from the general treasury have been used to fund the Secure Rural Schools Act from 2000 to 2006. Last year, Rahall said, Pocahontas County received $485,000 for its school system through the program, accounting for about 5 percent of its operating budget. 

  But Rahall said Agriculture Secretary Mark Rey has stated that funding the program using proceeds from a sell-off of national forest lands would provide counties with only about half the revenue they received for schools and roads during the past five years. 

  Rahall said the Forest Service’s announcement came two months after public outcry from outdoors enthusiasts forced the abandonment of a public-lands sale in the West. 

  “The administration is playing a shell game with these vital funds, undermining the guarantee of a fair return for these communities,” Rahall said. “It is unacceptable to break this promise to rural communities who rely on these funds to provide adequate schools and safe roads for their residents.” 

  Rahall is co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act, set to expire this year. 

  To contact staff writer Rick Steelhammer, use e-mail or call 348-5169. 

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