Earlier this week, the National Association of Counties (NACo) released their adopted 2015 Legislative Priorities.  Chief among them are efforts to reauthorize the Federal Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS), the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and to encourage the federal government to withdraw the “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) proposed rule.

RCRC has long advocated for reauthorization of Federal PILT and SRS.  The SRS program was established to provide a guaranteed payment option to counties and schools located in forested areas in light of drastic reductions in funding derived from timber harvesting on national forest lands.  California’s rural counties and school districts use these funds to support a variety of programs and services, including road maintenance and day-to-day school operations.  Similarly, the Federal PILT program provides payments to counties and other local governments to offset losses in property tax revenues due to the presence of tax-exempt land, which is owned by a variety of federal agencies.  Federal PILT funding supports a variety of critical county programs and services, including firefighting and policy protection, construction of public schools and local roads, and search-and-rescue operations.  RCRC’s latest update on the status of Federal PILT and SRS can be accessed here.

With the temporary extension of funding for the Highway Trust Fund set to expire at the end of May 2015, Congress will need to renew dedicated funding to keep MAP-21 federal highway programs operating.  As part of the reauthorization efforts, RCRC has supported a long-term reauthorization of the bill to ensure that counties have adequate time to plan and prioritize projects, and has advocated for the renewal of dedicated funding for both locally owned on-system bridges and High-Risk Rural Roads, which were eliminated under MAP-21.  These programs are critical to address the infrastructure and safety needs of California’s rural counties.

The rulemaking changing the definition of WOTUS proposed by the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers rule has been highly controversial since its April 2014 release.  The proposal faces staunch opposition from stakeholders (including RCRC) and Congress alike for dramatically expanding federal jurisdiction over waterways that have no direct nexus to federal waters, including ditches and wetlands.  These changes will severely impact county permitting activities, and could also cause delays in upgrading and maintaining important county infrastructure such as storm water drainage ditches and emergency flood conveyance systems.

RCRC is pleased that NACo will continue to prioritize these federal issues that are so critical for California’s rural communities, and we look forward to partnering with them to advance these advocacy efforts in the next Congress.