For five years, Siskiyou County has been the beneficiary of a federal law known as the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRSCSA or PL 106-393.) In just the 2003-04 fiscal year alone, the county received more than $9,106,000 in revenues from this act. About $3,870,000 went to county schools and an equal amount to county roads. Approximately $686,500 went to the Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) and another $686,500 to offset impacts of County services for search and rescue, fire and other departmental expenses related to the National Forest. Without action, the Act “sunsets” or ceases in 2006.

Unlike private lands, the federal government does not pay property taxes on the lands it manages. Property taxes fund roads, sheriff and other necessary local services. Visitors to the national Forest also use these services. A 1908 Act recognized the effect that large federal holdings had on the rural county tax base. It authorized 25% of all revenues generated by multiple use activities on National Forests to be shared with counties to help to fund local schools and roads. With increasing restrictions, such as those imposed upon timber harvest and grazing under the Northwest Forest Plan, revenues to Siskiyou County plummeted to around $500,000. SRSCSA was originally passed in 2000 to try and compensate for the dramatic loss of multiple use revenue.

Just recently, a bill to reauthorize SRSCSA was introduced in the U.S. House, ( H.R. 517 sponsored by Wally Herger,) and the Senate, (S. 267 sponsored by Dianne Feinstein S. 267.) For text of these bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ I would urge everyone to let their representative and Senators know how important the passage of these bills is to the residents of Siskiyou County. Congressman Herger and Senators Feinstein and Boxer need to have those letters of support in their hands.

A few months back, I wrote a column about the work of the Siskiyou County RAC in allocating its share of the SRSCSA money to worthy projects. The RAC has decided to consider some large “legacy” projects for possible funding. This past week, I attended a meeting to observe presentations made to RAC members on the development of two great projects in my district. 

The first project was the Scott Valley Biomass Gasifier Demonstration Project. The RAC is being asked to consider funding $521,680 of the total $751,680 project. This looks at burning wood chips in a “gasifier” unit to provide space heat at the Etna High School and Scott Valley Community Pool. It is estimated that such a unit would cost about $175,000, burn about ½ ton of chips a day and save between $20-30,000 per year in heating costs. (There is also an option to generate electricity, which would bring costs to about $330,000.) The second part of the project looks at installing a unit to provide heat for Cal Forest Greenhouses. This project would consume from two-five tons of chips a day.

As “demonstration” projects, the gasifiers would serve to showcase: (1) a practical use of wood waste generated from forest fuel reduction projects; (2) impacts of the technology on air quality; (3) heating fuel cost reductions (both in a public and commercial application); and (4) provide opportunities for training on new technologies. It is hoped that success will attract others to convert to this technology - stimulating local jobs and associated businesses.