SACRAMENTO, CA – March 10, 2014 – Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Officers and staff met with Federal policymakers in Washington, D.C. last week to discuss issues impacting California’s rural counties, including the Federal Transportation Funding Program (MAP-21), Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Critical Habitat Designation, and the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program (SRS).
“Many Federal programs have a tremendous impact on California’s rural counties, and it’s imperative that RCRC advocate on behalf of its member counties in Washington, D.C.,” said Nate Beason, RCRC Chair and Nevada County Supervisor. “This trip provides rural county leaders the opportunity to advocate with a collective voice before our Nation’s policymakers.”
The issues advocated upon included:
Federal Transportation Funding Program (MAP-21)
The Moving Ahead for Progress Act in the 21st Century (MAP-21) was signed by the President in 2012. MAP-21 is a two-year program to fund the nation’s highways and transit systems. MAP-21’s authorization expires later this year, and Congress has begun to work on a reauthorization.
RCRC supports the reauthorization of MAP-21 with reforms to ensure specific funding is made available for high risk rural roads and on-system bridges, which were eliminated under MAP-21.
Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)
The Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides payments to counties to offset losses in property tax revenues due to the presence of tax-exempt land which is owned by a variety of federal agencies. Congress initially enacted Federal PILT in 1976, with the most recent one-year reauthorization occurring in 2014.
RCRC is strongly encouraging Congress to enact a long-term reauthorization.
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Critical Habitat Designation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determines land that they feel should be designated as critical habitat for newly listed endangered species to give those species special protections in those areas. Last year, the USFWS adopted regulations that severely limit what they will consider as economic impacts when they are determining critical habitat designations. The new regulations exclude from the economic impact analysis most of the costs to landowners and communities that are economically dependent on recreation and tourism.
RCRC is strongly encouraging the USFWS to revisit the regulations and reconsider using an economic analysis approach during critical habitat designations that considers all of the costs associated with listing a species as endangered, as well as any additional impacts from the designations.
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS)
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) was established in 2000 to help the Federal government meet its commitment to keep counties and schools whole after a significant decline in timber harvest receipts occurred in the national forests. SRS provides funding for rural counties and school districts to help replace this revenue loss.
RCRC is supporting reauthorization of SRS including the enactment of comprehensive forest reform for the national forest system. As a part of this effort, RCRC is advocating for financial safeguards for California’s counties due to the State’s unique challenges surrounding the expansion of active forest management.
For more information about a particular issue or issues, please contact Justin Caporusso at (916) 447-4806 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
