PIERCE COUNTY: Senator Murray Joins Letter to Secretary Salazar Urging Him to Stop Delaying Payments to Washington Counties

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA) joined 35 members of Congress from both parties to send a letter
to
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar urging him to stop delaying federal
payments
that counties depend on to pay workers and continue operations. The
letter
follows the Department’s announcement that they would be making payments
later
than anticipated. The Department of Interior makes payments to local
counties
due to loss of potential tax revenues on federal lands, known as Payment
in
Lieu of Taxes (PILT).

“County
governments, already facing a dismal economic
situation, cannot wait an extra month for these funds, or simply suspend
their
operations for a month. They need these funds now, to simply keep their
doors
open,” wrote members of Congress.

Members
of Congress signing the letter include:

Senators
Harry Reid (D-NV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), James Risch
(R-ID),Patty
Murray (D-WA), Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), Max Baucus (D-MT), Mike Crapo
(R-ID),
Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael B. Enzi (R-NV), Mark Begich (D-AK), John
Barrasso
(R-WY), John Ensign (R-NV), Jon Tester (D-MT)

Representatives
Rob Bishop (R-UT), David Wu (D-OR), Greg Walden (R-OR), Earl Blumenauer
(D-OR),
Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Tom McClintock (R-CA),
Kurt
Schrader (D-OR), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Tom
Cole (R-OK),
Jim Costa (D-CA), Dean Heller (R-NV), Don Young (R-AK), Cynthia M.
Lummis
(R-WY), Wally Herger (R-CA), Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Devin Nunes  (R-CA),
Michael K. Simpson (R-ID); Doc Hastings (R-WA), Betsy Markey (D-CO).

The full text of the letter appears below:

The Honorable Ken Salazar
Secretary
Department of Interior
1849
C St., NW
Washington, DC 20240 

Dear Secretary Salazar:

As you know, many rural counties in the West are dependent
on the funding that comes from the Department of the Interior due to the
loss
of potential tax revenues on federal lands, known as Payment in Lieu of
Taxes
(PILT). Nearly $381 million was distributed to counties across the
nation in
FY2009. This money is critical to keeping county government functioning.
Many
of these counties have obligations that must be met by June 30 and these
obligations cannot be modified.

That’s why we are concerned by your department’s
announcement that it will releasing PILT funds later than anticipated.
County
governments, already facing a dismal economic situation, cannot wait an
extra
month for these funds, or simply suspend their operations for a month.
They
need these funds now, to simply keep their doors open. Additionally, we
encourage your department to provide appropriate outreach to communities
depending on these funds.

We urge you to issue these funds at their previously
scheduled release date. While we understand that the PILT formula is
complicated, it is critical for rural governments that the Department of
Interior expedites the release of these funds as quickly as possible. If
the
Department can only estimate payments at this time because of
difficulties in
determining the final payment amount, we urge you to consider providing
estimated payments that can be adjusted later so that our rural counties
are
not left stranded while this is resolved. At a minimum, the Department
should
determine if there is any short term solution to this issue so that a
payment
can go out to counties this month.

Thank you for your understanding of the importance of
this request. We look forward to your prompt attention to this matter.