The loss of PILT funds would be devastating for many counties in my district. These rural counties have broad expanses of public lands and PILT helps bridge the budgetary challenges created by the inability to collect tax revenues in those areas. While local taxes cannot be collected on these areas, the counties that include federal lands are still expected to provide essential services such as law enforcement, infrastructure and education to the community. Without PILT, the ability to provide these services to the community would be jeopardized. The federal government owns more than a third of the land in Colorado and in some counties in my district as much as 80 percent of the land is federally controlled, it is irresponsible for the federal government to deny PILT funds to these communities. It’s disappointing that funding for PILT was conspicuously absent from today’s appropriations legislation, despite repeated pleas from Western members to renew the vital program. While I appreciate assurances from leadership that PILT will be renewed in the Farm Bill, this is not a sure thing, and the absence of PILT funding in today’s appropriations package creates great uncertainty for all 29 counties in my district. I remain hopeful that we will pass a Farm Bill soon, but the reality is that Congress has struggled for more than two years now to reach an agreement on that legislation, and counties cannot afford to wait in perpetuity for vital PILT funds. I will continue to work with my Western colleagues to restore funding for PILT as quickly as possible, and provide our counties with the certainty needed to plan their budgets and serve their communities.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 22:19:48 +0000
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