House approves bill with big wins for rural Washington

The federal government plays an important role in Central Washington and across the West when it comes to a host of issues that impact rural communities. The federal government must manage vast tracks of federal lands including managing wild species, and preventing forest fires among other services.

Residents of Central Washington expect the federal government to fulfill its responsibilities to the public and to respect local wishes, hearing us out about policies that affect our daily lives.

Last week, I was pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 6147, the Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, which provides annual funding for various federal agencies charged with protecting our environment and managing natural resources.

The legislation included priorities for Central Washington, such as provisions to keep the North Cascades Smokejumper Base in Winthrop, to delist the gray wolf, to provide for the Wolf-Livestock Loss Demonstration Program for ranchers, and to improve transparency in grazing management.

The bill includes my amendment to prevent the transportation of grizzly bears to the North Cascades. Not only should federal agencies use sound science when considering policies to transport grizzly bears, but they should also hear out local communities that will be the most affected.

I am actively working with the U.S. Department of the Interior to ensure that local communities have their voices heard before any policy shift related to grizzly bears.

In these hot, dry summer months, the threat of wildfires is a constant in Central Washington.

The bill approved by the House funds wildland firefighting and prevention programs at $3.9 billion, fully funding the 10-year average for wildland fire suppression costs for both the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.

It provides robust additional funding, $500 million, for Forest Service wildfire suppression operations. The legislation also includes $655 million for hazardous fuels management, which is $30 million above the Fiscal Year 2018 level.

H.R. 6147 also provided $500 million in federal payments to local communities, called the Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.

PILT provides funds for local governments in 49 states to help offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal lands within their counties.

Without congressional action, many rural communities would face huge budget shortfalls that would have an enormous impact on public safety, education, and other local government responsibilities.

Another important change in the legislation is a provision to create the “Fund for America’s Kids and Grandkids.”

This change would cut $585 million from across the financial services portion of the legislation to make an initial deposit in the new fund.

The Fund for America’s Kids and Grandkids would safeguard those assets for future generations, as money in the account is not accessible until the budget deficit is erased.

This would help as we work to address our nation’s debt load in the interest of national security and for our children’s future.

For Central Washington, this legislation has important provisions that serve rural communities, and as the bill moves to the Senate, I hope for swift action.