Articles

September 18, 2013

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today applauded the House Rules Committee for sending the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526) to the full U.S. House for debate and passage.

“This is a big step forward towards making federal forest policy work for rural communities, in Oregon and across our nation. A green light from the Rules Committee is the final step before consideration by the full House, a process that could begin as soon as tomorrow. I look forward to passing this plan out of the House as soon as possible. Rural communities can’t wait any longer. Now is the time to get this done for Oregon,” Walden said.

The bill renews the federal government’s commitment to actively manage federal forests to create jobs in the woods, improve forest health, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and provide revenue for local communities to provide essential local services like schools and law enforcement.

The bill contains the O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs plan written by Walden and two of his colleagues from Oregon, Reps. Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader. Their proposal would create or save thousands of jobs in Oregon, provide revenues to failing Oregon counties, help sustain the local manufacturing base, and end the status quo of gridlock litigation.

For more information on the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526), click here. For information on the O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act, click here.