House Passes Labrador Plan to Empower Idaho's Rural Communities

Press Release

The U.S. House passed H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, today. This bill incorporates an earlier bill introduced byRep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID), theSelf-Sufficient Community Lands Act, which transfers the management of about 200,000 acres of federal land in Idaho to the state as a trust. The Labrador plan would enable the state to manage this land in accordance with state forest statutes, such as the Idaho Forestry Act. This, in turn, would promote responsible timber production, creating much-needed jobs, generating tax receipts for the counties, and improving overall forest health.

"The time has come to put our people and our land back to work," said Rep. Labrador. "That means getting the federal government out of the way and empowering Idaho's forest communities to manage their own land. Today's bill is a big step forward in achieving that goal. By reestablishing local control over some of our state's most valuable resources, our bill will bolster the economy in areas that have struggled with high unemployment and create the tax revenues they need to improve schools, roads, and other local services. Last but not least, it will also improve forest health and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires."

In Idaho and much of the West, rural communities once relied upon the timber industry for job creation and tax revenues. During the past few decades, environmental organizations have hindered our ability to develop timber from our public lands through litigation. In fact, timber harvests have declined by more than 80 percent over the past 30 years. The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program was created in 2000 as a temporary program to help counties make up for lost revenue and fund the services they could no longer afford after the decline in timber production. Authority for the program expired last year.

"The SRS model is no longer unsustainable. So long as it's tied to federal policies that prevent us from developing our own land, it prevents us from achieving a true solution. By putting the people of Idaho in charge, and reducing our dependence on Washington, we will create a better and brighter future for our people."

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